Shepherd's Pie With Eggplant (Aubergine)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ cup chives , freshly minced
• ½ cup parsley , freshly minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• onion , chopped
• 1 garlic clove , crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• 1 stalk celery , finely minced
• 12 ounces mushrooms , chopped
• 1 lb eggplant , in small cubes
• 1 green bell pepper , minced
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup peas , raw (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup cheddar cheese , grated, packed
• 3 tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the potatoes (in their skins) in boiling water, until soft. Drain, and mash the first 5 ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a large, heavy skillet, saute the onions and garlic in 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter, with salt and pepper, until the onions are soft (5-8 minutes). Add the celery, mushrooms, and eggplant. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. When the eggplant is cooked through (and this will happen more quickly if you cover the skillet between stirrings), add green pepper, herbs, and peas. Continue cooking about 5 minutes longer.
5. Remove from heat; toss with cheese, wheat germ, and vinegar. Spread this mixture into your buttered deep-dish casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes on top, as a crust.
6. OPTIONAL (and OPTIMAL): Sprinkle extra cheese plus some paprika on top.
7. Bake, uncovered, 35 minutes.

Reviews

[James Soutter]

This is a perfect recipe to use when entertaining. It is easy to cook, tastes great and can be prepared in advance. On the plate it looks professional. The two greens (peas and peppers) and two grays (eggplant and mushrooms) sit well against the golden yellow of the mashed potato. I added 2 heaped tsp of dried "crushed chilli peppers" which gave the dish a zing. Cooking eggplant has been mystery to me - do you salt it? Do you press it? When is it done? Here I precooked the cubed eggplant by microwaving in a lidded Pyrex dish for 6 min then drained and rinsed in cold water to remove any bitter juices. Worked well.

[ladybug mom]

WE made this for supper the other night and my children raved over it, I think we will have it again tonight! Like some of the other reviews, we added and subtracted vegtables to fit what was on hand in the fridge and garden! That is what makes this recipe so handy to have around, and it is much healthier than the sheprds pie i grew up with, you know, the veggie soup kind.

[Nye McClelland]

It was very good, I did however, add quite a bit of spices and diced up a red pepper.