Description
A classic greek dish that will serve a crowd, or it’s perfect for batch cooking and it freezes well. Moussaka is the assembly of four pre-cooked ingredients that produce a delightful casserole after all the flavours have blended in the oven.
To speed up the cooking you can make the red meat sauce and/or the white béchamel sauce ahead of time.
The red meat sauce can be made with traditional lamb, beef or a mix of the two.
The white béchamel sauce is creamy goodness made with cashew “half-and-half” milk.
The eggplants get a salt bath to remove any bitterness, they are then brushed with a herb and garlic mix and pre-cooked under the broiler. The potatoes are sliced thin and steamed.
Ingredients
- 1 batch (4 cups) Easy Bolognese Meat Sauce
- 1 batch (3 cups) Vegan Gluten-Free White Sauce
- 1.5 lbs potatoes
- 1 large eggplant
- 6 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tsp dried oregano, divided, plus more for garnish
- 1.5 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 dried mushroom
Instructions
- Make 1 batch of red meat sauce, makes approx. 4 cups.
- Make 1 batch white bechamél sauce, makes approx. 3 cups.
- Rinse and slice eggplant into 1/4″ slices. Place in a bowl with 1 tsp salt for about 30 minutes. Let eggplants drain. Prepare oven tray by brushing with avocado oil.
- In a small bowl mince garlic and let sit for 10 minutes. To the garlic, add 4 tbsp avocado oil, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together with a fork.
- Dry eggplant slices with a tea towel and place on oven tray. Once tray is filled, brush with oil and herb mix. Grill under the broiler on second highest rack setting for approx. 5 minutes, or until golden and soft. Stay close to the oven and check often to avoid burning. Transfer eggplant slices to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.
- Rinse and brush the potatoes, leave the skin on if the potatoes are organic. Slice potatoes thin (1/8″/0.5 cm) using a food processor, or by hand. Steam potato slices for about 10-12 minutes or until soft but not mushy when pierced. Remove from stove, lift lid and let cool until ready to use.
- Set oven to 350 F/175 C. Brush a large casserole dish with avocado oil. Layer in the following order: half of the potatoes, half of the eggplants, half of the red meat sauce (2 cups) and half of the white béchamel sauce 1.5 cups). Repeat the 4 layers, ending with the white sauce. Sprinkle with dried oregano and grate 1/2 dried mushroom on top. Bake in the middle of the oven for approx. 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling. The shorter time for convection oven. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Serve with a mixed greens salad.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Greek
Keywords: Great casserole for cold weather, feed a crowd, gluten-free and dairy-free casserole