Food: roasted eggplants stacked with lentil salsa

Eggplant and tomato go so perfect with each other that now I have too many recipes with just these two ingredients. However, in this particular eggplant stacks recipe the key ingredient is lentil. It adds another delicious layer to the already perfect eggplant+tomato combination. Another effortless dish for a meatless weeknight dinner. 

Ingredients are,

1 medium eggplant sliced 1/2" thick stacks                        

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1/3 cup tomato sauce                                                                      

5/6 mushrooms chopped

1/2 cup cooked lentils                                                                     

1 small onion chopped

3 garlic cloves sliced                                                                       

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 spices                                                            

parmesan for sprinkle

olive oil+salt+pinch of sugar+cracked peper                       

mint leaves for sprinkle 

If you want to use fresh tomatoes then just pulse it in the food processor few times. I used canned. Instead of the 21 spices you can use all spice or make your own spice mix. Cook the lentils like you would boil pasta with no seasoning.

First roast the eggplant stacks in the oven at 450 degrees. Spray with oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, and then flip and roast for another 5 minutes. 

For the lentil salsa, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Once the onions are soft, add the garlic. When the garlic releases aroma [few seconds] add the mushrooms. Add salt and cover and cook. The mushrooms will become soft and release water. Add this point add the cooked lentils. Stir it in and then add the crushed tomato and the tomato sauce. Once this boils up, add the red chili powder and the 21 spices. Add the pinch of sugar and adjust seasoning. 

Take a baking tray or ceramic [spray with oil] and place the roasted eggplant stacks. Top each stack with the lentil salsa you just made. Top that with some parmesan. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chopped mint leaves before serving. Bon appéit!