Since I posted this recipe back in the summer it has proven to be one of my most popular. A healthier and vegetarian take on a lasagne/moussaka style bake. It cannot be overstated how beneficial lentils can be for children. They're rich in B vitamins, including folate to support the nervous system, as well as protein to fuel the muscles and fibre to nourish the gut microbiome.If this is a relatively new dish for your child you could serve it with some garlic bread to ease them in. For much younger children it would be nice with the aubergine chopped up - although once out the oven it should just melt in to the dish, and some Greek yoghurt stirred in.
Ingredients
- a large Aubergine peeled and sliced
- 2 Merchant Gourmet French Tomatoey Puy & Green Lentils these are the best, great to keep in the cupboard and in most supermarkets
- an Onion diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves diced
- 350 g Tomato Passata
- 2 Bay Leaves
- a tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 3 tbsp Cornflour
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 500 ml Milk
- 1/2 cup Cheese either cheddar, parmesan or gruyere
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- Lay your slices of aubergine on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil. Bake at 220C for 5 minutes.
- Add a splash of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat and sautée your onion and garlic until softened - 3/4 minutes. Add in your two packets of lentils and stir.
- Add the passata, cinnamon and bay leaves and leave to simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.
- In a new pan over a medium heat add your butter and cornflour and whisk until melted. After two minutes begin to very slowly add your milk, whisking constantly. Continue this while the sauce begins to thicken. I tend to add it in 50ml intervals.
- Once you have a thick white sauce you can begin to add the cheese, reserving a little to add on top. Stir in the nutmeg too.
- In an oven proof dish, add some of the lentil mix (bay leaves now removed) - ensuring it covers the bottom. Cover this with the baked aubergine pieces and then another final layer of the lentils. Cover with the cheese sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 30 minutes.
Notes
The three steps can be done simultaneously to maximise time - aubergine baking, lentils simmering and sauce whisking. I cooked this in two dishes - a 30cmX20cm and a 10cmX10cm - but any dish would work. Just aim for 2/3 lentil mix (with aubergines in between) and 1/3 white sauce.