Courgette, tomato, and cheese bake

From The Guardian Weekend 30th August 2014

Serves 3 as a main

As the evenings draw in, this is the ultimate comfort food to make the most of the late summer abundance.

vegetarian, gluten free

Ingredients

700g courgette, cut lengthways into thin slices

2 tbsp olive oil

500g passata

2 onions, sliced finely

2 tsp dried oregano/herbs de Provence

sea salt

ground black pepper

200ml plain yoghurt

1 egg

100g extra mature cheddar, grated

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/gas 7.
  2. Lay the courgette slices on a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and season well. Bake for 30-40 mins until brown.
  3. In a large ovenproof dish, build the meal in layers: first passata, then onions, then courgettes, then seasoning. Repeat the layers until there's no veg left, and finish with a thin layer of passata.
  4. Mix the yoghurt and egg together and spoon over the courgette layers.
  5. Sprinkle the cheese and then the herbs on top of the yoghurt mixture.
  6. Bake until golden brown: the recipe says 20 mins but it took 50 mins in our oven.

Serving suggestions

I'm sure a crisp green salad would go beautifully; alternatively some good bread which would be perfect for mopping the plate :-)

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)

Courgette, tomato, and cheese bake seen from above