Potato and Eggplant Bake with Lentils
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes
- 1.5 eggplants
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 500 ml sieved tomatoes
- 500 ml water or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tbsp vegan margarine or butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups cold plant-based milk
- a generous pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180°C or 350°F.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook potato cubes for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion.
Cook for about 2 minutes, then add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked lentils.
Cook for another minute before adding sieved tomatoes, water or vegetable broth, paprika, marjoram, and basil.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add potato cubes and bring sauce to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and remove pan from heat.
Add some olive oil to the bottom of your baking dish, along with a bit of the lentil-potato sauce.
Add enough eggplant slices to cover the sauce and add more sauce on top of the eggplant slices. Repeat this process for about 2-3 times until no eggplant slices are left. Finish with a last layer of sauce to cover the slices.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons of vegan margarine or butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add flour and stir until no lumps remain. Add 1.5 cups of cold plant-based milk. Reduce heat to low and stir well.
Add a generous pinch of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
Bring the bechamel to a boil while stirring continuously.
Once it is boiling, remove the saucepan from heat.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and add the bechamel sauce on top.
Bake for another 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and hot.
Notes
Serves 4
