I always feel like I should be in a Mediterranean farmhouse kitchen when I make this rustic dish. It’s filled with warmth and flavor while also nourishing that part of the soul that needs comfort food. The eggplant, courgette and mushroom combination really deliver on the taste and texture side, while the tomato sauce and feta bring it all together and feed the part of you that craves lasagna, pizza or anything that involves tomato sauce and cheese. It’s also quite nourishing so a non-vegetarian won’t get the impression they’re eating a side dish as a main.
I like to make it ahead of time to let the flavors mingle and pop it into the oven for the final cooking phase.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 large eggplants, sliced in 2cm slices, lengthwise
- 6 baby courgettes, sliced in 2 cm slices, lengthwise
- 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups of tomato passata/tomato sauce
- 1 cup feta or crumbly goat cheese, crumbled
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and toss, letting them cook slowly until slightly caramelized, around 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside on a plate.
- Drizzle 4 tbsp olive oil on the eggplant and courgettes
- Cook the eggplant and courgettes in batches: Using the same pan, place the eggplant slices on medium high heat and cover for a few minutes. Don’t add any oil during this process. When the slices get slightly brown and limp on the bottom, flip them over leave them for another few minutes. They should be a little more than half cooked. Set them aside in a large bowl and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Repeat, until there is no more eggplant left. Do the same with the courgettes, stacking them with the eggplant.
- Using the same pan, cook the mushrooms: place them all in the pan and let them sweat until most of the water is evaporated and the volume is reduced by half – 5-7 minutes. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic then season with salt and pepper. Let cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. They should be golden brown and well cooked.
- In a large bowl combine all the vegetables – onion, eggplant, courgette and mushrooms with 2 cups of the tomato sauce and two remaining cloves of garlic
- Pour into a 9×12 inch oven proof dish. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce, sprinkle the top with crumbled feta and pine nuts. At this point, you can either follow steps 8 and 9 or cover it and store in the fridge for a day or so.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until it is bubbling and golden on top
- Take it out of the oven and let the dish cool for 5-10 minutes before serving
