Moussaka
A reinvented traditional Greek eggplant casserole made with baked or pan fried eggplant and potatoes, a rich, tomatoey ground Beyond Beef sauce and topped off with a deliciously plant-based creamy béchamel. In other words, the ultimate comfort food. It is without a doubt, Greece’s most popular, traditional dish!
Cuisine: Greek Prep: 40 min Cook: 60 min Total: 1 hr 45 min Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
For the vegetables:
2 potatoes
1 large eggplant
For the meat:
1 lb (16 oz) Beyond Beef plant-based ground
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
3 oz choice of red wine
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cinnamon or one cinnamon stick
¼ cup olive oil
½ bunch parsley, chopped
½ bunch basil, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the béchamel Sauce:
1 head garlic, average size (roasted)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 min
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup water
Instructions:
Begin by preparing the eggplants. Remove the stalks from the eggplants and cut them into slices, ½ inch thick. Season with salt and place in a colander for about 15 minutes.
While waiting for the eggplants to be ready, start to prepare the potatoes by cutting them into 1/4 inch slices. Fry in plenty of oil, until nicely colored. Place the fried potatoes on some paper towel, in order to absorb the oil. (For a lighter version of the recipe try drizzling the potatoes with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them). Season with some salt and set them aside when done.\
Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water and squeeze with your hands, to get rid of the excessive water. Pat them dry and fry or baked, as previously done with the potatoes. Set aside when done.
Prepare the meat sauce. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté, until softened and slightly colored. Stir in the Beyond Beef breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté. When it starts to brown, add the the garlic and tomato paste and sauté until the garlic starts to soften. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the meat juices and wait to evaporate. Add the chopped tomatoes, the sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 5-10 minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated. Add the chopped basil and parley, and stir. Set aside when done.
Prepare the béchamel sauce. Soak cashews in hot water (uncovered) for at least 30 minutes. While cashews are soaking, peel the head of garlic and prepare to roast. Using an air fryer, toaster oven or conventional oven, roast of garlic after tossing in 1 Tbsp olive oil for 20-25 min on medium-high heat until cloves are tender, fragrant, and light golden brown. Redistribute cloves about half way through for even roasting. Drain soaked cashews and add to a small blender along with roasted garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and water. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt to taste or nutritional yeast for cheesiness. The roasted garlic should add a nice caramelized, garlicky sweetness to the sauce, but if you prefer a more garlicky punch, you could throw in 1-2 raw garlic cloves and blend. Set aside.
Now it’s time to assemble. For this moussaka recipe you will need a large casserole dish. Oil the bottom and sides of the pan and layer the potatoes first, then half of the eggplants. Pour in all of the meat sauce and spread it out evenly. Add a second layer of eggplants, top with all of the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
Preheat oven to 350F and bake for about 25 minutes or until its crust turns light golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! Opa!
Nutrition:
Servings: 4-6 Serving Size: 1 Calories: 321 Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 17.5g
Fat: 22g Saturated Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 1115 mg Fiber: 9g Sugar: 12.5g