This makes a very filling hearty meal for a cold winter’s day. the lentils go very nicely with the eggplant and the so cheese is a great addition. We enjoyed the fresh basil leaves as a touch of green and the basil tasted very nice with the rest of the flavors as well.

Eggplant Lentil Stacks

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 & 1/2 cup lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1 onion chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • dash taco seasonings
  • dash cayenne or Tabasco
  • sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
  • 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
  • 1 eggplant, cut in rounds
  • oil for frying
  • soy cheese, crumbled or grated
  • rucola, chives or basil as garnish

Directions:

  1. If you are including the onion and bell pepper, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot and saute the chopped onion and bell pepper.
  2. When the onion becomes glassy and the bell pepper pieces soft, add the lentils and stir well to mix the flavors.
  3. Add the water ad bouillon cube.
  4. Cook the lentils until the lentils are soft but al dente.
  5. While the lentils are cooking, slice the eggplant and lightly fry on each side.
  6. The eggplant slices can be kept warm in the oven until ready to serve the meal.
  7. When the lentils are done, remove from the heat and drain off any excess liquid.
  8. Add the seasonings and chopped sun-dried tomatoes if using.
  9. Crumble a piece of soy cheese.
  10. To assemble, lay a slice of eggplant on a plate, then a layer of lentils, then another pice of eggplant, then top with the lentils, optionally top with another slice of eggplant.
  11. Garnish with some greens or basil and crumbled soy cheese.
  12. Optionally if you would prefer the lentil mixture to stick together a bit more, 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste can be added to the lentils.