Baked eggplant with yogurt
<p>In this delicious dish, grilled slices of eggplant and zucchini are layered with a rich tomato sauce and cumin–flavoured yogurt, then baked. Thick slices of bread and a crisp green salad are the perfect accompaniments to make a satisfying meal.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Ingredients</span></strong></p>
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<li>3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>1 red onion, finely chopped</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>1 can chopped tomatoes, about 400 g</li>
<li>2 teaspoons tomato paste</li>
<li>100 ml dry red wine</li>
<li>1 bay leaf</li>
<li>2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley</li>
<li>salt and pepper</li>
<li>3 eggplant, about 700 g in total, cut into 1 cm slices</li>
<li>3 zucchini, about 500 g in total, thinly sliced</li>
<li>½ teaspoon ground cumin</li>
<li>1⅔ cups (410 g) low–fat natural yogurt</li>
<li>2 eggs, beaten</li>
<li>⅓ cup (35 g) freshly grated parmesan</li>
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<h4>Preparation</h4>
<div data-url="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/recipes/baked-eggplant-with-yogurt"> </div>
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<li>Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, or until softened.</li>
<li>Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, stirring.</li>
<li>Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, wine and bay leaf.</li>
<li>Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Uncover the pan and let the sauce bubble for a further 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.</li>
<li>Remove the bay leaf.</li>
<li>Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.</li>
<li>While the sauce is simmering, preheat the grill to moderate.</li>
<li>Lightly brush the eggplant and zucchini slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.</li>
<li>Cook under the grill, in batches, for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until browned and very tender.</li>
<li>Preheat the oven to 180°C.</li>
<li>Stir the cumin into half of the yogurt.</li>
<li>Arrange one–third of the eggplant slices, in one layer, in a large ovenproof dish that is about 2.</li>
<li>5 litres capacity.</li>
<li>Spoon over half of the tomato sauce.</li>
<li>Arrange half of the zucchini slices on top, in one layer, then drizzle with half of the cumin–flavoured yogurt.</li>
<li>Repeat the layers, then finish with a layer of the remaining eggplant slices.</li>
<li>Mix the remaining 200 g yogurt with the beaten eggs and half of the parmesan.</li>
<li>Spoon the yogurt mixture over the eggplant, spreading with the back of the spoon to cover evenly.</li>
<li>Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.</li>
<li>Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and set, and the sauce is bubbling.</li>
<li>Serve hot, in the baking dish.</li>
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<div>Serves: 4</div>
<div>Preparation: 20 minutes</div>
<div>Cooking: about 1¼ hours</div>
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<div>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/recipes/baked-eggplant-with-yogurt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</div>
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