Moussaka with Cottage-Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
- 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
- 2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways
- 2 potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 900g or 2 lb or 4 cups canned chopped tomatoes
- 200g or 7 oz or 1 cup white cottage-feta cheese, crumbled
- 200g or 7 oz or 1 cup canned brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 500ml or 17 fl oz or 2 cups passata tomato purée
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Green salad and olives, to serve
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and lightly grease a 23 x 33 cm ovenproof dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and, working in batches, lightly brown the eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes on both sides, adding more oil as necessary, then transfer each batch to a colander lined with paper towels and leave to drain.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for 5-8 minutes until softened, then stir in the tomatoes, bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add a layer of eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes to the base of the prepared dish, top with 4 tablespoonfuls of the tomato mixture, scatter over 4 tablespoonfuls of cheese and 4 tablespoonfuls of lentils, season lightly, and pour over enough passata for a light covering.
Make 3 more layers in the same way, pressing the layers down firmly.
Add the remaining passata to the top layer.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until thoroughly heated through and bubbling at the sides.
Serve with a green salad and plenty of olives.
