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Delicious Vegan Moussaka with Lentil-Tomato Sauce

Have you ever had a good Greek moussaka? If yes, I’m sure you appreciated how smoothly all of the ingredients come together. What about a vegan version? Today I’m sharing a recipe for a vegan moussaka with a lentil-based sauce that makes me confident to say that I’ve perfected this dish over the years.

Wanna have a bite?

Classic Greek Vegan Moussaka| vegan version of a classic moussaka | vegan moussaka recipe

Greek cuisine has always been near and dear to my heart. I can’t say that I’ve made a lot of Greek dishes at home, but I’ve definitely had my share at Greek restaurants! Things got a little more complicated once I switched to a vegan diet, and going to my once favorite Greek places got kind of boring since fully vegan options were few and far between.

What can a vegan girl do if she wants to keep eating delicious Greek moussaka? Make it at home, of course!

But first, for the uninitiated: what is moussaka? Here’s how a classic Greek version is defined at About.com: “Moussaka is a casserole made by layering eggplant with spiced meat filling then topping it off with a creamy bechamel sauce that is baked to golden perfection.”

Vegan people will have a couple issues with this definition:

  • How can we get rid of the meat?
  • How can we make a non-dairy version of bechamel sauce?
  • Can we make a less greasy version of this dish? Classic moussaka can be pretty oily!

Another issue that I have:

  • If we get rid of all the heavy stuff in moussaka, how can we make a possible vegan version more filling? I don’t like to be hungry half an hour after dinner!
veganmoussaka_1.JPEG

Thankfully, I’ve come up with a way to make a perfect vegan moussaka:

– Substitute meat with a lentil-tomato sauce that’s seasoned just right;

– Instead of making bechamel sauce with butter, milk, and white flour, make it with a little coconut oil, almond milk, and whole wheat flour, adding 1 Tbsp of ground flax seeds.

– Vegan moussaka is going to be way less greasy if you keep added oils to a minimum. In most of my recipes, I try not to use oil, but unfortunately I haven’t yet found a good oil-free vegan version of bechamel. If you have one, please let me know!

– To make my vegan moussaka more filling, I added 1 or 2 layers of boiled/steamed potatoes (that’s the Russian in me!). Potatoes are a great filler that doesn’t have an overpowering flavor, so my moussaka tastes just as delicious as the Greek-intended version.

Any version of moussaka is a rather time-consuming endeavor, so brace yourself here… Just trust me: once you bite in, your taste buds will applaud your diligence and patience, and so will your family.

And just how good is this stuff? Well, to say that this is one of my husband’s favorite dishes is almost like not saying much at all: after I make this, I hear compliments from him about how delicious it is/was for at least three days!

Classic Vegan Moussaka Recipe

Another story: he ordered moussaka at a Greek restaurant once, and I said that I was worried that after having a classic Greek-made moussaka he wouldn’t want to eat mine again. After our food arrived, he took a couple bites of his entree and assured me that I had nothing to worry about!

All right, enough with the stories, bring on the recipe!

Yield: 4 small servings, or 2 generous with leftovers.

Vegan Greek Moussaka with Lentil-Tomato Sauce

Classic Greek Vegan Moussaka| vegan version of a classic moussaka | vegan moussaka recipe

This is one of those recipes that is quite time-consuming, but oh so rewarding and comforting in the end! It's not oil-free, so if you avoid added oil in your diet, feel free to use a different version of bechamel sauce.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 2 medium potatoes

For the lentil-tomato sauce:

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato (about 1 small tomato)
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup diced portobello mushrooms
  • 1 1/2 cup boiling water or veggie broth
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the bechamel sauce:

Instructions

To save time, read through the instructions first to see how to prepare all of the moussaka components at the same time.

To prepare eggplant:

  1. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Arrange in layers in a colander, sprinkling salt between each layer. Let sit for at least 20 min (this releases and gets rid of bitter juices, so your eggplant won't taste bitter in the end). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. After 20 min, pat dry eggplant rounds with paper towels to remove all of the juices released.
  3. Arrange on a cookie tray in one layer. Spray with olive oil spray. Flip slices, and spray the other side.
  4. Insert eggplant in the hot oven. Bake for 15 min, flip slices, and bake for another 10-12 min.
  5. Once eggplant is done, take it out of the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees.

To prepare potatoes:

  1. Peel and slice raw potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Rinse potato slices to remove extra starch, steam for 10 min on stovetop. If you don't have a steamer, boil whole potatoes for 10 min, then cool off a bit and slice in 1/4 round pieces. Potatoes don't have to be fully cooked at this step.

To prepare lentil-tomato sauce:

  1. Heat a skillet with 1-2 Tbsp of water, add chopped onions and garlic. Cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally, until onion gets translucent.
  2. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients except spinach complete with boiling water and spices. Cook for about 20-25 min, stirring a few times. Once lentils are tender and all of the liquid is absorbed, stir in spinach and take the sauce off the heat.

To prepare bechamel sauce:

  1. In a large skillet on medium-low heat, melt coconut butter. Once melted, add whole wheat flour, 2 Tbsp at a time, and mix into the oil with a rubber spatula. Once all flour is added, pour in almond milk in 3 parts, stirring with the spatula constantly to break up clumps. Continie stirring for about 5 min, until the mixture gets homogeneous and thickens up to the consistency of thick gravy. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Take off the heat, stir in ground flax seed.

To assemble moussaka:

  1. In an ovenproof 8" by 8" casserole dish, arrange all components in layers: lentil-tomato sauce, eggplant, lentil-tomato sauce, potatoes; lentil-tomato sauce, eggplant, lentil-tomato sauce, potatoes. How to make vegan moussaka: step by step instructions
  2. Go until you run out of all ingredients (it's ok if you end up having more eggplant than potatoes). The last layer should be eggplant.
  3. Once everything is assembled, pour bechamel on top and distribute evenly. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
  4. Insert the casserole into the oven at 375. Bake for 20 min; remove the foil and bake for another 15 min.
  5. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool 10-15 min before cutting. Enjoy!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4 pan

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 616Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 12mgCarbohydrates: 118gFiber: 19gSugar: 18gProtein: 23g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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Have you tried a different vegan moussaka recipe that you liked? Do you have any other favorite vegan versions of classic ethnic dishes? Let us know in the comments!

Classic Vegan Moussaka Recipe with tomato-lentil filling and bechamel sauce

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.

susan Albert

Thursday 27th of February 2020

Can this recipe be made ahead and frozen, then warmed for serving? Or prepared ahead, frozen, then baked for serving?

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Friday 28th of February 2020

Hi Susan! Honestly, I haven't done either, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you freeze cooked moussaka, I suggest splitting it into individual servings first. Please let me know how it turns out if you try this!

Amanda Lines

Thursday 1st of February 2018

Lovely Mousaka recipe. Mixed puy lentils with soya mince. Also used a vegan cheese sauce mix with nutmeg. Thank you

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Thursday 1st of February 2018

Glad to hear you liked my recipe, Amanda!

Emma Nicholls

Sunday 12th of March 2017

I'm a recent convert to Veganism and this is just amazingly yummy! I made my bechamel with buckwheat flour as am also gluten free and it worked a treat. Substituted sweet potatoes for normal and it will definitely be on the menu again. Thank you so much x

Alina

Sunday 12th of March 2017

Thank you for letting me know, Emma, so glad you likedid this recipe!

Daliborka

Monday 8th of August 2016

you could make the bechamel without the oil, mix the milk with the flour in a pan, bring to boil until thickens, put your seasening, finished ;)

Alina

Monday 8th of August 2016

That's a great idea, Daliborka, I should give it a try!

Nadia

Saturday 23rd of April 2016

I have made this recipe a few times now and every time it is a HIT! Wonderful spin on a timeless recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Alina

Saturday 23rd of April 2016

Awww thank you Nadia! So nice to hear that you like this recipe!

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