Eggplant with Tomato, Basil and Feta

It has been a busy week. It started with lots of Christmas shopping, then Christmas cooking, then more shopping on Boxing Day. Only now I feel like I have been able to catch my breath from the Christmas rush. Because of everything that was happening, I tried to make Christmas Eve dinner as simple as possible. Although this dish probably has the most steps of the three dishes I made, we found that it was worth it the extra effort. My family loves eggplant, tomatoes and basil, so this dish was a hit. We found that it was like eating miniature vegetarian lasagnas. I hope you will enjoy this dish as we did.

Eggplant with Tomato, Basil and Feta

 

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Prep time

50 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: Liza A

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1½ cup feta, crumbled
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves
• 1½ tsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ cup olive oil, divided
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cut the eggplant crosswise into ½” (1¼ cm) thick rounds. Lightly season with salt and leave them for 30 minutes to allow moisture to drain from the eggplant. Pat each round dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set aside a greased baking pan.
3. Brush both sides of eggplant rounds with oil and pan fry them for 3-5 minutes on each side. Set aside.
4. In a blender, combine the basil leaves, 4 tablespoons of oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Blend until the basil is completely pulverized.
5. Cut the tomatoes crosswise to ¼” (1 cm) thick rounds.
6. Arrange 4 eggplant rounds side by side on the baking pan. Spread ½ tablespoon of the basil mixture on top of each one, then generously sprinkle feta crumbs. Top each with tomato rings. Repeat for a second and third layer or until all ingredients are used, finishing off with a drizzle of oil and any remaining feta.
7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Notes

Recipe adapted: crystalmargarine.com

3.5.3208