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Slice removed from a vegetarian moussaka recipe

Vegan Moussaka


Description

This Vegan Moussaka comprises layers of tomatoey lentils, grilled aubergine slices, sheets of potato and celeriac, topped with vegan béchamel sauce. This recipe uses only natural ingredients and is gluten and dairy-free!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Aubergine Layers

  • 2 aubergines, washed and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) slices
  • 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
  • salt and pepper, season to taste

Lentil Filling

  • 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
  • 1 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2g (1 tsp) dried oregano
  • 2g (1 tsp) smoked paprika
  • 1g (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) tomato puree
  • 400g (1 can) cooked Puy lentils
  • 150ml (3/5 cup) vegan red wine or beetroot juice
  • 1/2 cube of dried vegetable stock
  • 200g (1/2 box) passata
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Potato and Celeriac Layers

  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled
  • 1 medium celeriac, peeled

Vegan Bechamel Sauce Topping

  • 150g (1 cup) cashews
  • 400ml (1 3/5 cup) plant-based milk
  • 10g (3 tbsp) nutritional yeast
  • 100g (1 cup) grated vegan Cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • grated nutmeg, to decorate

Instructions

  1. For the Aubergine Layer: Preheat the oven to 200°C / fan 180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4.
  2. Brush both sides of the aubergine with olive oil and season.
  3. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking tray.
  4. Roast for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through.
  5. For the Lentil Filling: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan.
  6. Add the onions and stir until softened and translucent, which should take about 2 minutes.
  7. Add the carrot and garlic. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes.
  8. Add oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon and tomato puree. Stir well.
  9. Add the lentils and red wine.
  10. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  11. After 2-3 minutes, crumble in the stock cube, then pour in the passata. Stir then let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft. If the mixture becomes too dry, just add a splash of water.
  12. For the Potato and Celeriac Layers: While the lentils are simmering, use the SpiraSlice to create sheets of potato and celeriac. They will be thin but require blanching.
  13. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boiling point. Drop a sheet in, one at a time. When the water reaches boiling point again, which would take approximately 30 seconds, remove the vegetable sheet immediately then place in cold water. Repeat until all sheets are processed. Set aside.
  14. For the Bechamel Sauce: Pour boiled water over the cashews and soak for 15 minutes. Drain.
  15. Place all the ingredients, apart from the nutmeg, into a blender, then blitz until a smooth paste is formed. Season to taste.
  16. Assembling the Vegan Moussaka: Place a thin layer of lentil filling at the bottom of a large casserole dish.
  17. Place one layer of potato sheets on top of the lentils.
  18. Place one layer of celeriac sheets on top of the potato sheets.
  19. Place one layer of aubergine slices on top of the celeriac sheets.
  20. Repeat until you’ve got about 2.5cm (1cm) left, which should be enough for the sauce.
  21. Pour the sauce over the top and level off with a spoon. Grate some nutmeg over if you wish.
  22. Place the casserole into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
  23. This dish is great by itself but if you want something extra, a green or Greek salad goes well with this dish. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Feel free to experiment with other types of lentils or other meat substitutes in place of the Puy lentils.
  • If you can’t get hold of celeriac, simply substitute it with the same amount of potato. You can even play around with sweet potato or butternut squash!
  • Instead of red wine, you can use beetroot juice.
  • For the sauce, we used almond milk but soy, oat, cashew, etc. milk will also work.
  • You can slice the aubergines any way you desire.
  • If you’ve got any leftover lentils, don’t worry, they go well with pasta, for a vegan take on spaghetti bolognese.
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Greek

Keywords: vegan moussaka, vegetarian moussaka recipe, lentil moussaka, vegan eggplant moussaka, vegan greek recipe