Sort of Vegetarian Moussaka

Submitted by Karen Elizabeth

"From Alison & Simon Holst "Very Easy Vegetarian Cookbook". Although I'm not a lover of eggplant OR mushrooms, I did enjoy this! Since I only had one small eggplant, I added in sliced zucchini (about 3 small, sliced lengthways), and because I love blue cheese, I added that to the cheddar cheese for the topping, using about half a cup of each. I'm posting the recipe as originally published, but I did enjoy my small changes! oh, also, the ingredient list separates the amounts of oil, salt, etc, I just add it as I need it! And I used the yoghurt option for the topping. As I typed, it occurred to me that a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes on top of the final eggplant layer (underneath the yoghurt topping), would probably be really nice! Try it!"

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (I used 1 smallish and three smallish zucchini)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 -2 minced garlic clove
• 250 g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 -2 tablespoon basil pesto
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 cup sour cream or 1 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 - 1 cup cheddar cheese (tasty)

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Slice eggplant into 1 cm thick slices, brush each side lightly with olive oil and arrange the slices on one or two baking trays. (Ditto for zucchini, although I sliced them lengthways).
3. Place in the oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until eggplant is soft and beginning to brown slightly. Remove from oven.
4. While the eggplant bakes, peel and slice the onion, heat oil in frying pan, add onion and garlic, and sautee, stirring frequently, until onion has softened.
5. Stir in sliced mushrooms and cook gently until mushrooms have wilted. Add pesto, salt and pepper to taste, cook for another moment or so and remove from heat.
6. Lightly oil or non-stick spray a 25x30 cm casserole dish. Arrange half the eggplant (and zucchini) slices in a layer over the bottom of the casserole dish, cover this with the mushroom mixture and finish with the remaining eggplant/zucchini slices.
7. Mix the sour cream or yoghurt with the egg and salt together in a small bowl. Pour and spread this over the layered mixture, then sprinkle the top with the grated cheese.
8. Bake at 200 C for 20 mins or until the top is bubbly and turning brown. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 - 10 minutes.
9. Serving suggestion : salad and crusty bread.