Vegan Greek Moussaka
When you can’t be in Greece, bring Greece to your Kitchen Table in Sweden.
Today I’m serving one of the most popular and traditional Greek recipes - moussaka! Many of you might be familiar with it from “My big fat Greek Wedding” but if you haven’t seen that movie or can’t remember where it’s mentioned (I’m addicted to that movie and have watched it way too many times), this dish is based on minced meat, potatoes and eggplant. They are layered in an oven pan together with béchamel sauce. Some people call this “a weird potato-eggplant-lasagna”, and well yeah, I guess you could say it is that.
“Veganized”
As you probably have understood by now, I don’t eat meat and that is the reason why I today want to show you a “veganised version of moussaka. I have still used similar or the same techniques, spices and ingredients as used in the traditional Greek moussaka my Yiayia (Greek grandma) used to make. The result is so fantastic!
How do I serve the moussaka?
The moussaka is served the way it is, meaning it has both the carb, fat and protein source included in the dish. Thereafter, as side dishes, I’d recommend you to serve it with tzatziki and a greek salad, or feta cheese. I served this one with vegan tzatziki
THIS RECIPE IS:
Vegan
Gluten Free
Egg Free
Greek Traditional Recipe
Delicious
Fantastic
Comfort Food
Vegan Moussaka
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 yellow onion
3 pressed garlic cloves
400 g vegan minced "meat"
1 can of crushed tomatoes (400 g)
1 tbsp tomato pure
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp paprika powder
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon
at least 1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 middle big eggplants
4 potatoes
Bechamel Sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp all round flour
4,8 dl optional unsweetened vegan milk
Grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
+ grated vegan cheese if desired
HOW TO MAKE:
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Cut your eggplants in equally thin slices. Put on paper and spread salt on top. Let rest for 15'. We do this so that the water from the eggplants will be absorbed.
Place these eggplant slices on a baking sheet and and ripple olive oil on top. Place in the oven for 10' or until soft.
Finely chop you onion and heat in a frying pan with your garlic. Add your minced "meat" and fry until golden. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato pure and spices. Let it simmer for at least 10'. Preferably add some water too so that the sauce won't stick to the pan. Taste and add more salt and pepper if it's needed.
Béchamel sauce: heat your oil in a skillet. Add your four and whisk with a hand whisk. Add your milk and spices and start mixing.
Boil your milk while whisking but be careful your milk doesn't get burned or boil over. Boil until thick enough, but remember that the sauce thickens too, when the sauce cools.
Use a round oven pan or equally big quadratic pan. Start by rippling just a little bit of olive oil in the pan. Spread out a layer of eggplant slices. Thereafter spread a layer of vegan minced meat, then potato and thereafter from the beginning with eggplant. Do all of these layers until the ingredients are over, but be sure you end your moussaka with your vegan mice and thereafter the béchamel sauce. If you want too, you can also garnish with vegan cheese.
Place in the oven for approx 40'. Serve with a fresh greek salad, tzatziki and/or feta cheese.