Baked Eggplant Tomato and Pesto

This is a great holiday dish with all the colors of the season. Vegetarian or vegan, this is a rich and aromatic casserole, hearty enough for a winter day, like Christmas.
1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4-inch lengthwise
2 large fresh, ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup favorite pesto
1/2 cup red pepper eggplant spread
3-4 oz favorite goat cheese
2 Tbsp purple Bermuda onion slices

Vegan pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
Palmful Italian parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400F. Place the eggplant slices on an oiled baking sheet and brush or spray generously with olive oil. Place in oven and turn on broiler. Broil for about 8-10 minutes, until the eggplant browns up nicely. Remove from the oven and allow to cool off a bit. Reset oven to 400F.  You could also grill eggplants on a BBQ grill if you like.

If making your own vegan pesto, place all pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Oil a 9x13-inch casserole or equivalent dish, and lay the spinach in a bed at the bottom. Lay half the eggplant slices on top of the spinach. Paint the spinach with pesto and then top with half the tomato slices.

Scatter half the red pepper spread on the tomatoes and dot with half the goat cheese. Repeat with eggplant, pesto, tomato, red pepper spread and goat cheese. Here, I put goat cheese in one and not the other - leaving the second as vegan.

Scatter with the onion slices and any remaining pesto. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and pop in oven. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 15-20 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and cooked through.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: This is a great vegan meal especially served with a quinoa pilaf.