Vegetable Moussaka

Moussaka! What a funny word. I've been saying it a lot lately. Moussaka is a layered Middle Eastern dish made with tomatoes and eggplants baked in a white sauce. There are different variations of this dish based on geography. This version is vegetarian and made following the traditional Greek method of cooking. I'm in love! It's one of the most flavorful dishes I've ever made. Serve with couscous on the side.

Serves 6

• 1/2 cup green lentils
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 14-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 4 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced in circles
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 eggs
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. Place lentils in a small pot filled with 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Drain the excess liquid.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Add lentils, mushrooms, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, basil, roma tomatoes, and 3 tbsp water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. While the lentil mixture is cooking, spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant slices on the bottom of the casserole dish. Bake for 10 minutes.

4. In a small bowl whisk together Greek yogurt, eggs, salt, and pepper. Take the casserole dish out of the oven. Spoon the lentil mixture on top of the eggplants. Pour the yogurt sauce over the mixture. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.

5. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley with couscous on the side.