Vegetable and Lentil Bake

This is a delicious vegetarian dish, the combination of flavours really compliment one another. You can use chestnut mushrooms if you can't get the open cap variety.

Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions - peeled and thinly sliced
400g (14oz) butternut squash - peeled weight and diced
3 large open cap mushrooms - cut each mushroom into 8
2 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
2 tsp paprika
1 x 400g (14oz) tin tomato puree
1 x 400g (14oz) tin green or continental lentils - drained
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and black pepper
2 aubergines, 225g (8oz)each - sliced
50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
120g chopped almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add the onions, squash, mushrooms, garlic and paprika, fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned, add the tomatoes and tomato puree, stir well and cook a further 5 minutes, add the drained lentils and chopped parsley, season.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of the remaining oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry 1 sliced aubergines for 3 - 4 minutes, repeat.
4. Arrange alternative layers of the aubergines and lentil mixture in a casserole dish, finishing with aubergines.
5. Sprinkle with some wholemeal breadcrumbs mixed with chopped almonds. Bake for 25 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with a salad.

Serves 4

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