Vegetarian Moussaka

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
3 large potatoes peeled
1 large eggplant
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions
6 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
12 oz baby bellas
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 400.

Rinse lentils well and add to large sauce pot. Add water to cover and boil 20-30 minutes, until soft, adding additional water if needed. Drain lentils.

While lentils are cooking slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick discs, removing peel, and salt generously. Let sit about 10 minutes then rinse well with water and let drain. Place on oiled baking sheet and cook 15 minutes, or until soft. Remove from oven.

Also while lentils are cooking, scrub potatoes clean under running water. Peel potatoes and slice into thin discs. In large sauce pan, cover with water and bring to boil. Add a little salt and simmer about 15-20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Dice onion and mince garlic. Heat up olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, turning heat down to medium. Saute about 5-7 minutes.

Chop mushrooms and the red bell pepper and add to the saute pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and cayenne, and cook at a simmer until the mixture thickens, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

In large bowl, mix 1/2 of saute pan mixture with lentils.

In 9 by 13 pan, spread out lentil mixture. Cover the lentils with overlapping potato slices. Spread 1/2 of remaining mushroom-tomato sauce over potatoes. Cover with eggplant slices, using the remaining sauce to cover eggplant.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook for a couple of minutes until golden, then whisk in milk. Whisk constantly until the roux boils and begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the white sauce over the pan, smoothing so that the entire top is covered with white sauce. Bake on middle rack of oven for about 45 minutes. The top should be turning golden brown when finished. Remove from oven. Let sit about 10-20 minutes to let moussaka firm up before serving.