Mussel Lasagne

Mussels are not normally considered when making lasagne. I have been using them for 30 years, and my daughter always asks me to make it for her and her family. I use yoghurt mixed with grated cheese instead of béchamel sauce, as it is both easier and healthier.

Ingredients

880 g	Canned tomatoes, chopped
1 kg	Mussels, steamed open and roughly chopped (Main)
1 tsp	Crushed garlic, crushed
1 large	Onion, chopped roughly
1 Tbsp	Dried oregano, chopped
1 Tbsp	Fresh parsley, chopped
1 pinch	Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
750 g	Indian yoghurt, 1 pot
250 g	Tasty cheese, grated
1 Tbsp	Wholegrain mustard, or hot English mustard, depending on your taste
½ medium	Pumpkin, sliced thinly
1 bunch	Silverbeet, chopped - including stem
1 loaf	Baguette, sliced or torn apart.
1 Tbsp	Fresh oregano, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180*C Sauté chopped onions and crushed garlic in a saucepan. When transparent, add chopped tomatoes and simmer until juice is reduced. Stir in chopped mussel meat.Add chopped oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste. Set aside.
2. Stir together the Indian yoghurt and grated cheese. Add the mustard and stir thoroughly. (I use Indian yoghurt because it has fewer additives and it is much cheaper)
3. Semi roast the thinly sliced pumpkin pieces. You can microwave them, but roasting brings out a superior taste. Sauté the silverbeet stems and when soft, add a tablespoon of water, add the chopped leaves and cook with lid on until wilted. About 1 minute.
4. Arrange 1/3 of the pumpkin slices in a layer in a deep oven dish. Then arrange 1/2 silverbeet. Now 1/2 of the mussel and tomato mixture. Now 1/3 of the cheese and yoghurt mix. Repeat and lastly top with the last of the pumpkin and on top spread the last of the yoghurt mix.
5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with crusty bread.
6. I prefer my layers thick, but if you prefer you can make more layers spread more thinly. You can use any crusty bread. However, a baguette is the cheapest. This recipe is healthy and has 3 kinds of vegetables in it. You can mix other vegetables in with the sauce if desired. I have used aubergine, zucchini, green bean - you are only limited by your imagination. I always have silverbeet growing in my garden pots. It is a cheap and versatile and easy to grow vegetable which can be used raw or cooked.