Eggplant & Lentil Lasagne

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200c fan-forced.
• Slice the eggplants 0.5cm thick length-ways. Line 2 baking trays. Lay the eggplants on the tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
• While the eggplants are roasting, let's get started on the sauce!
• Dice the onion finely and set aside. Grate the zucchini and carrot, place them in a separate bowl and set aside.
• Place a large pot on a medium to high heat. Drizzle some olive oil. Toss the onion in the pot and stir. Once browning and softening, add the garlic and grated vegetables.
• Stir well and pour in the balsamic vinegar. It will create some steam! Once the balsamic vinegar has evaporated, pour in the passata. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the passata jar, put the lid back on and shake well to remove passata remnants. Pour this water/passata combo into your sauce.
• Stir through the herbs and stock, allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, or longer if you have the time.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, reduce the temperature of the oven to 180c.
• Use a large, deep dish, layer eggplant, sauce & lasagne sheets in that order. Set the lasagne aside to make the bechamal!
• Heat a small pot on a medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. Stir in the flour to create a paste, if this is browning, turn down the heat. Add all of the milk, season with salt & pepper, and use a whisk to continually stir and break down the paste. Do not stop stirring until a custard like texture is made.
• Remove from the heat, pour over the lasagne and top with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling on the top. Allow to cool slightly before eating!