Scrumptious, filling, full of umami taste – this Vegan Moussaka is here to make a lasting impression.
As I scroll through numerous vegan FB groups I find one questions repeated over and over again.
What should I cook to impress my meat eating… in-laws, friends, boyfriend?
I feel that as vegans, plant based, or just people who follow other than traditional diet, we feel strongly compelled to impress our guests with our cooking.
Is it because every vegan heard at least once that all they eat is grass? Or got asked a question: so what DO you eat?
Or was laughed at during a barbeque party?
There is something about the way we cook for others. Sort of manifest that vegan food is actually tasty, filling and CAN be enjoyed!
Hey! I got my husband converted with my cooking, so you never know…
If you’re looking for a dish to impress your ‘meat eating’ family or friends, you just found it. This Vegan Moussaka is no doubt the right choice.
Vegan Moussaka – Authentic Greek Comfort Food
Course: DinnerCuisine: Greek, CypriotDifficulty: Medium6
servings40
minutes40
minutes10
minutesIngredients
- The vegetable base
1 Medium eggplant
1 really large or 2 medium potatoes
fresh thyme
salt & pepper
olive oil to grease oven dish
- The filling
1 large onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup soy mince
400g canned tomatoes
5-7 large champinones
1 carrot (optional)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp spice mix for meat
1 flat tsp brown sugar
1 flat tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt & pepper
- The Béchamel sauce
1/4 cup oil (sunflower, rapeseed, grapeseed)
2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or your favourite plant based unsweetened milk)
3 tbsp all-purpose wheat flour
3-4 tbsp grated vegan cheese – might be ‘parmesan’ type or other (optional)
salt & pepper
Directions
- For filling
- Sauté diced onion on olive oil until translucent. Add salt and garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.
- In the meantime cut carrots into half-slices and mushrooms into medium chunks.
- Add all spices to the pan with onion, stir until combined and cook for 1-2 minutes until spices smell. amazingly. Add soy mince and tomato paste – mix well. Allow to cook in covered pot for few minutes.
- In the end add canned tomatoes. You can use passata if that’s what you have in your cupboard. At this point you may want to add about 1/2 cup water, as the soy mince ‘drinks’ a lot. Cook for about 10 minutes, until carrot and soy mince soften.
- For Béchamel
- Mix wheat flour with room temperature soy milk. Make sure there are no clumps
- Heat up oil in a small pot on a medium heat. Add milk with flour and mix well. Keep on mixing as the sauce will gradually thicken. You must see the bubbles forming on the surface to be sure the sauce is ready.
- Season with salt and pepper. Mix in 2 tbsp of vegan cheese (optional).
- For vegetable base
- Start by cutting the eggplant into 1cm slices. You can slice it longwise or broadwise, it does not matter. Place slices separately on a big board or plate and sprinkle with salt. Wait approximately 10 minutes until eggplant release the juice. Dry it with paper towel, flip to the other side and repeat the step.
- Now you have three choices how to treat the eggplant.
You can fry eggplant on a bit of oil for few minutes until softened. You can bake it for 10-15 minutes in the oven.
Or if you have a grill pan you can grill it. 6-8 minutes should do. Look how beautiful it looks with those stripes. You can eat few sliced – eggplant prepared this way is delicious.
- Peel potatoes and slice them into 5mm slices.
- Assembling vegan moussaka
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Grease your dish with a bit of olive oil. Place two layers of potato slices on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.
Now it’s time for eggplant. Repeat the same steps as for potatoes. - Mix 1-2 spoons of Béchamel sauce into the filling.
Distribute your filling evenly on the layer of eggplant. Flatten with spoon.
- If you are using vegan cheese, sprinkle 2 tbsp evenly on the layer of filling. Now it’s time for the final layer.
- Pour Béchamel sauce and distribute it evenly on top. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and thyme.
- Cover oven dish and bake your vegan moussaka for 40 minutes. For the last 10 minutes remove the cover, so that top layer goldens nicely.
- After removing from oven put aside for 10-15 minutes. It will be easier to cut and serve it without damaging the layers.
Notes
- Do not get discouraged by the long list of ingredients. Vegan Moussaka is not as complicated as it might look. And the taste is well worth the preparation time.
- I often start making this vegan moussaka one day ahead by preparing the filling. Next day I only prepare vegetables, cook Béchamel sauce, assemble and bake it. One big step less to do.
Serving suggestions
This delicious Vegan Moussaka is a complete dish by itself, however I like to serve in a company of light salad.
All you need is:
- 1 cucumber
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- lettuce
- 1/2 can sweet corn
- red onion
- vegan feta (optional)
- olive oil & lemon juice
- oregano (preferably fresh, but dried will do)
- salt & pepper
Cut cucumber in large chunks, tear lettuce and half cherry tomatoes. Mix in a large bowl with sweet corn, chunks of feta and red onion cut however you like it. Season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Sometimes I use seasonal additions like fresh oregano, mint, cilantro from my garden. You can also use mix of dried herbs of your choice.
Let me know what you think about this recipe for Authentic Greek Vegan Moussaka!
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