When I stumbled across this recipe, I was so excited to try it because I’d not much cooked Greek style food before and the whole thing promised to be easy, yummy and affordable, which is just what this blog is about . It proved to be excellent and I’m thrilled with the nutritional value of it too. This recipe was originally published in Good Taste magazine and it scores a fantastic 4/5 stars on taste.com.au. Enjoy the fact that the veggie components mean it can be eaten on its own or serve with a side salad and some crusty bread. Depending on the cost of eggplant (worth a trip to the grocer for this one!), this dish, which serves 6-8 will cost around $12 to make.

• 105g (1/2 cup) risoni
• 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
• 1 large (about 450g) eggplant, thinly sliced lengthways
• 1 tbs olive oil, extra
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 500g beef mince
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried or fresh oregano
• 250g Greek-style natural yoghurt
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• Ground cinnamon, to dust
• 2 tbs chopped fresh mint (if you have it)

1. Cook the risoni in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 3-4 eggplant slices and cook for 3 minutes each side or until tender and slightly golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat, in 3 more batches, with the remaining oil and eggplant, reheating the pan between batches.
3. Heat the extra oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes or until soft.
4. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5-6 minutes or until the mince changes colour. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add the tomato and oregano, and stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the risoni.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread the mince mixture over the base of a 2L (8-cup) capacity ceramic baking dish. Arrange the eggplant, overlapping slightly, over the mince mixture to cover. Combine the yoghurt and egg in a bowl. Pour over the eggplant and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the yoghurt is just set. Dust with cinnamon. Sprinkle with the mint to serve.