This vegan Moussaka made with layers of eggplant, potato and a flavour-packed mushroom filling, topped with a luscious white sauce, is definitely a must-try.
Moussaka is a classic Greek baked dish thats typically made up of eggplant and lamb mince. Its a dish that I’ve made for years and every time I make it, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s been ages since I last made it, so I decided it was time. The weather was perfect. With autumn rolling in, the days are a tiny bit cooler. And that means it’s finally ok to crank up the oven.
With the weather in my favour, now there was just one little hurdle. We no longer eat meat. I had to turn this into a really delicious Vegan Moussaka. It’s easy enough to simply sub in the lamb with TVP (textured vegetable protein) or a fake meat option from the supermarket, but we don’t really enjoy that stuff. I have used it in recipes a few times, but I much prefer using vegetables instead. So today, that’s the version I’m going to share with you.
Let’s talk about the cheese. While I do use plant based cheese in my diet, I try and keep that to a minimum. This sauce is ideally made with some cheese and I have added it to the recipe. However, the sauce is just as good even without the cheese. The flavours and textures of all the elements of the casserole work really well together and the sauce brings everything together brilliantly. So if you’re trying to restrict your intake of processed food, feel free to leave the cheese out, like I’ve done in the recipe video.
To make this recipe a little healthier and to reduce the hands on cooking time, I’ve roasted the potatoes and eggplant instead of pan frying it. This way you use less oil in the cooking process and I find that the flavours are much better.
Overall, this is a relatively easy dish to make. There are a few elements that have to be prepped and then its just a matter of layering everything and baking it off. Just allow yourself a little extra time.
Vegan Moussaka recipe
Course: Mains4
servings15
minutes30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesThis vegan Moussaka made with layers of eggplant, potato and a flavour-packed mushroom filling and finally topped with a luscious white sauce.
Ingredients
2-3 eggplants
2 potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
- For the Mushroom filling
1 onion, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
8-10 cup mushrooms
5 portabello mushrooms
3 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Red chilli flakes, to taste
- For the white sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups soy milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup grated cheese
Salt, to taste
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. (You can also use nutmeg powder instead)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into slices. Keep the slices on the thicker side.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the potato slices and sprinkle some salt, to taste. Toss them well and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Slice the eggplant, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt over the slices. Toss them well and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the potato and the eggplant slices for 15-20 minutes or till done. Do not overcook the vegetables.
- For the Mushroom Filling –
- Chop the mushrooms into a chunky dice.
- Dice the onion, celery and carrots and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes till it starts softening.
- Add the celery and carrots and let these cook off on a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes or till they have softened a bit.
- Add the minced garlic and stir through.
- Add some red chilli flakes, to taste, the oregano and black pepper powder. Stir through.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir through. Let it cook off for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes.
- Season with some salt and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- For the White Sauce –
- Add the oil and butter to a pan on medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour. Stir it through and let the flour cook off for a minute or two till it develops a nutty aroma. This means that the flour has cooked off. Do not let the colour change.
- Add a splash of the soy milk and stir thoroughly and then add the rest of the milk. You can use a whisk to help get rid of any lumps in the sauce.
- Add some salt, to taste.
- Add mustard and stir through till the mustard dissolves.
- Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well.
- Cook till the sauce thickens, stirring constantly.
- Lastly, add the cheese (if using), stir through and take the pan off the heat.
- To assemble the Moussaka –
- In an 8×8 inch square baking dish, place the roasted potatoes in a layer at the bottom. Try and keep the layer even without too many gaps.
- Next, layer the roasted eggplant slices over it.
- Spoon the mushroom filling in an even layer over the eggplant.
- Pour the sauce over the filling evenly.
- Bake at 200ºC for 15-20 minutes or till the sauce is all hot and bubbly.
- Take the moussaka out of the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with a fresh garden salad and some garlic bread.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Moussaka
The inside still remains luscious, moist and full of flavor.
Moussaka
Adapted from: Continental Cooking for the Indian Kitchen by Nita Mehta
(Serves 6-8)
2-3 eggplant, thin long variety
2 tomatoes, chopped
500g beef mince (you can use lamb if you’d like to)
2 large onions, finely chopped
6 flakes garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chilly flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
Salt, to taste
For the Cheese Sauce –
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/4 – 1/3 cup Grated cheese
1/4 tsp mustard
Salt to taste
Thinly slice the eggplant and arrange them on a platter. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the slices and let it stand for about 1/2 an hour to drain the juices. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the slices till brown. Make sure you do not burn them. Drain on absorbent paper towels and keep aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker.
Add the onion and stir fry till they soften a little.
Add the chopped garlic and stir fry till the onions turn pink.
Add the tomatoes and stir fry till the juices evaporate.
Add the mince and cook on a high flame till brown and dry.
Add the tomato puree, chilly flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and pressure cook. After the 1st whistle, simmer on low flame for 2 minutes.
Remove from the gas and cool till the pressure dies down.
Open the cooker, check for tenderness, adjust seasoning if needed and cook till almost dry. Dry the excess liquid but don’t make it too dry. Keep aside.
For the cheese sauce, heat butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook on a low flame for a minute till it changes color slightly. Remove from the heat. Add the milk and mix well. Return to heat and cook till the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, mustard and cheese. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Add the beaten egg to the cooled white sauce. Keep aside.
To Assemble
Spoon half the meat mixture in a shallow ovenproof dish. Top with half the eggplant slices. Repeat with a layer of the rest of the meat and top that with the rest of the eggplant slices. Pour the cheese sauce on top.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200ºC for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbling hot and browned.
Serve hot with some garlic bread.
This recipe is linked to –
Tuesdays at the Table
Hearth and Soul
A Little Birdie Told Me
Delectable Tuesday
Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try
What’s on the Menu Wednesday
What’s Cooking Thursdays
It’s a Keeper Thursday
Full Plate Thursday