Baked Vegetable and Goat’s Cheese Stacks
Who says it’s difficult to get the daily recommended servings of vegetables? This dish covers off 4 vegetables in just one serving. Eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and thiamin (vitamin B1). It is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and niacin. Zucchini is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, niacin, and protein. Onions are a very good source of vitamin C, chromium and dietary fiber. Another fine recipe inspired by Australian Good Taste magazine!
Serves 2
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small eggplant cut into four slices cross ways
1 large red bell pepper, quartered and deseeded
1 small red onion cut into four slices cross ways
250g goat’s cheese, thinly sliced
1 tomato cut into four slices
1 zucchini cut into 1/4″ slices
1/2 cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
shaved Parmesan
Preheat oven to 200c. Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place eggplant and red bell pepper on a baking tray and drizzle with one quarter of the lemon mixture. Toss to coat and bake 15 minutes or until tender.
Lightly brush a baking tray with olive oil and place two slices of red onion with one slice of goat’s cheese, half the tomato, zucchini, eggplant and red bell pepper. Repeat layering. Drizzle with the remaining lemon mixture. Press down on the stack lightly to secure. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove vegetable stacks and place on a plate. Scatter the pine nuts around and on top of the vegetables. Top with goat’s cheese and Parmesan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Don’t worry if the stacks fall over when cooking. Just reassemble for presentation and no one will ever know the difference! If there’s any juice on the baking tray, use that to drizzle over the vegetable stacks. I found serving this dish luke warm enhanced the flavors of the vegetables. Enjoy!
I have a question about goat cheese… I don’t like the taste of goat / bleu cheese. Do you think I can substitute that with any other kinds of cheese? I know, different taste, different texture… but what kind of cow’s milk cheese in your view would be close?
Hi Karen,
I would recommend Haloumi cheese if you don’t like goats cheese. Haloumi has an interesting texture & won’t melt like cow’s milk cheese might. That being said, you could bake the vegetables half way & then add the milk cheese for the remaining time. Up to you. Or, as an alternative, omit the cheese & only top the vegetable stack with Parmesan cheese. Hope this helps. Cheers!