This delicious recipe has been in my family for generations. My great-grandmother was often preparing this vegetable casserole, out of necessity and creativity. This dish is not just a simple meal, it’s a culinary journey back in time, filled with love and tradition.
To recreate this mouthwatering vegetable casserole, you’ll need the following ingredients for 4 portions:
- 1-2 onions
- 5-6 potatoes
- 1-2 eggplants and/or zucchini
- 2-3 red peppers
- a handful of green beans
- 3-5 carrots
- 250g of rice
- 1 small cabbage
- 3-4 tomatoes
- parsley (optional)
- sunflower oil
- salt and pepper to taste
I will start by cleaning my vegetables. I am peeling the onions, give them a good rinse and set them aside.
Then, I’m peeling the potatoes, give them a good rinse, to have them ready for later.
I am also peeling some carrots, I clean the red peppers, peel the eggplants or zucchini, and set them aside.
We will also use a handful of green beans, some tomatoes, cabbage and some rice.
Now that we have everything prepared, it’s time to put the casserole together:
- Onions: Dice half of your onions and sprinkle them on the bottom of a big pot. This is an old pot that doesn’t look great, but it’s doing the job every time. You can also use a tall tray for this recipe.
- Potatoes: Then, I will slice my potatoes and layer them on top of the onions. And I want to cover all the spots, so I will cut some small potatoes pieces to fill everything. I will repeat this until I layer all my potatoes.
- Eggplants/zucchini: I will also slice my eggplants and I will layer those same as I did for my potatoes, filling all the gaps. Repeat until you added all the eggplant slices.
- Salt: Sprinkle some salt.
- Peppers: Then slice your peppers and add them in a layer over the eggplant.
- Green beans: Cut the green beans in smaller pieces and add those to the pot.
- Carrots: Slice all the carrots, diagonally, and add a layer.
- Onions: Dice the remaining onions and sprinkle them over the carrots.
- Salt: Add some salt.
- Rice: Layer the rice over the vegetables.
- Cabbage: Fine-cut the cabbage, add it to a bowl and rub it with salt until it softens. Then add a layer over the rice.
- Tomatoes: Slice your tomatoes and layer them to cover well the cabbage.
- Parsley: My great-grandmother also added some chopped parsley on top, if you have some handy.
When everything is set, add 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower oil. In a cup mix some pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of salt with some water and pour over your casserole. Add 1-2 more cups of water, depending on your dish size and shape. We want the water to stay below the vegetables.
Put the dish in the oven at medium to low heat for 2 – 2 and a half hours. The dish is done when the edges of the tomatoes turn dark.
You can play with this recipe and add more vegetables (like sweet corn, peas, broccoli), or replace some ingredients (like using zucchini instead of eggplant)