You really can't go wrong with Greek moussaka for dinner. However, this dish is even better because it is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free! This recipe is so delicious (and on the healthier side), we bet your kids will eat their veggies! Moussaka is a retro dish created by the Greeks of Smyrna and Alexandria. Plant-based moussaka is just as summery and tasty: this yummy combination of sweet aubergines, hearty potatoes, and savoury mushrooms, all topped with a rich vegan béchamel sauce is stick-to-your-ribs filling. Actually, you will prefer the plant-based version of this traditional Greek dish! It is guaranteed to have everyone at the table licking their forks and asking for seconds. This recipe will become your new favourite!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 60 minutes |
| Servings |
6
|
Ingredients
For the layer of potatoes
- 6 potatoes medium-sized
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Greek extra virgin
For the layer of eggplants
- 4 aubergines (eggplants) Italian
- 1 tablespoon salt for brining
- 1/4 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Greek extra virgin
For the vegan white sauce (béchamel)
- 1 litre almond milk
- 6 tablespoons cornflour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Greek extra virgin
- 1/4 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper
Other
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Greek extra virgin (for greasing the baking dish)
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs topping (optionally)
Ingredients
For the layer of potatoes
For the layer of eggplants
For the vegan white sauce (béchamel)
Other
|
|
Instructions
- Wash the aubergines, trim off the stems and peel off the skin. Cut them into 1cm or ½ inch disks. Fill a large bowl with cold water, add 1 tbsp salt and stir until it dissolves completely. Submerge the disks in the salted water. Let the aubergine disks sit in the brine for at least 20'.
- Scrub the potatoes clean, but leave the peel intact. Add cold water, plus 1tsp baking soda to a cooking pot. Place the potatoes in the pot, set on medium-high heat. Bring the water to the boil and simmer the potatoes for 15'. Remove from the heat. At this point the potatoes are partially cooked. Drop the potatoes in cold water and peel off the skins. It is easier to peel off the skins after the potatoes are cooked. Cut the potatoes into 1 cm or ½ inch slices.
- Preheat the oven to 230°C or 446°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse the aubergine disks and throw out the water. Sprinkle them with ¼ tbsp salt, a pinch of pepper and 2 tbsps olive oil and mix by hand. Arrange them on the half of the baking sheet.
- Put the potatoes, ½ tbsp salt, ¼ tbsp ground black pepper and 2 tbsps olive oil into the same bowl and toss them around to form an even coating, then place on the same baking sheet. Roast the vegetables uncovered for 20', until they are tender and with slightly brown edges.
- In a nonstick pan sauté the diced scallions and the minced garlic with some lukewarm water over medium heat for about 3'.
- Add the mushrooms. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. The liquid is evaporated in about 5'. Now is the best time to pour some wine over them, if desired, and let it evaporate. Sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour 2-3 tbsps olive oil, stir to mix and immediately remove from the heat.
- Use olive oil to grease a casserole dish or a pyrex glass baking dish 25x19 cm, optionally sprinkle breadcrumbs for crispy texture. Place a layer of potatoes in the base, top with mushrooms, and finish with a layer of aubergines.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C or 428°F.
- For the vegan béchamel sauce, keep ½ cup milk aside and boil the rest of it in a heavy bottom pan set over medium heat.
- In the meantime, add the cornflour to the ½ cup milk and mix until dissolved. After the milk has reached boiling point, lower the heat, then add the cornflour and almond milk mix to thicken the sauce. Stir vigorously. Season with salt and pepper and pour the olive oil. After 2'-3' the sauce has reached the desired thickness (keep in mind that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from the heat.
- Spoon over the sauce, making sure it covers in a thick, even layer. Optionally sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20', or until golden and crispy on top. Βon appétit!
Recipe Notes
Our Sommelier Suggests
Moussaka is a traditional dish to eat in Greece. Fresh summer vegetables, and savoury homemade vegan béchamel come together beautifully in this summery plant-based dish. For a vegan and gluten-free dish that all eaters will enjoy, try this hearty moussaka. This is a delicious Greek dish that is ideal for relaxed summer entertaining. Xinomavro, ‘acid and black’ in Greek, is one of the world’s rarest noble indigenous red grapes originating from the wine-privileged zone of Macedonia, Greece. Xinomavro is quite the diva on the grape runway, as it demands special terroir and care. Xinomavro is actually an ambassador grape variety of Greek wine and can be found with both Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), such as PDO Amyndeon (also Amyntaio, a town in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece) and PDO Naoussa (also Naousa, a city in the Imathia regional unit of Macedonia, Greece). Possibly the most popular Greek rosé (and affordable as well), Xinomavro is a very sexy wine that delivers aromas of wild red fruits and ripe tomatoes. Perfect pairing with Xinomavro rosé wine is a Mediterranean Greek feed of moussaka on the beach! Sit back and enjoy this earthan treat.
Tips
- Aubergines are at their very best in the height of summer and they are one of the most important staples in the Mediterranean. The moussaka principal ingredient is, of course, the aubergine. Brining the aubergines makes them extra creamy and sweet.
- Cooking potatoes in alkaline water — with added baking soda — can help tenderise the potatoes while preventing them from falling apart (see the photo of me holding the potato slice). Boiling your potatoes before you toss them into the oven helps them develop a crispy outside coating. Also, this way you are using the minimum amount of a healthy oil for cooking, the Greek extra virgin olive. This is a fast and healthy way to cook potatoes.
- Mushrooms have high water content; when they are cooked, they release a lot of liquid. It is better to cook the scallions until tender, and then add the mushrooms, this way you do not end up with a soggy mess. Food retains heat, so the mushrooms continue to cook well after being removed from the heat. Also, mushrooms are very absorbent, so they absorb the oil quickly. Greek extra virgin olive oil perfectly complements the delicate earthy flavour of mushrooms, plus olive oil is traditionally used in the Smyrna cuisine and it is considered the secret to good health. By steam-frying or sautéing mushrooms using water and by adding the oil after cooking you get all the health, taste and texture benefits of olive oil.
- When cooking vegetables I would strongly advise you to do so in a way that retains as many nutrients as possible, and preserves colour and texture. Pan-steaming or steam-frying or healthy sautéing is one of the healthiest cooking methods. The water-sautéed mushrooms are even tastier than the olive oil-sautéed ones!
- I recommend a healthy cooking method for every layer of vegetables for the vegan moussaka in order to boost flavour and minimize nutrient loss.
- You can add less ground black pepper to this recipe, if you wish (be sure to taste test). Vegan moussaka is not too spicy, but it releases a very subtle pepper flavour.
- This velvety vegan béchamel sauce has the right consistency, it is a classic béchamel in texture, and has a hint of nuttiness. It actually tastes better than the non-vegan béchamel sauce. Vegan béchamel sauce recipe requires only 5 healthy and accessible ingredients; its simplicity is the key to success in cooking a perfect decadent vegan white béchamel sauce.
You should try vegan moussaka, it will excite your palate!
Moussaka