Recipe Background
The Vegetarian Moussaka Bake draws from a rich heritage. Although the most famous version in America is Greek, similar dishes can be found in the Balkans and the Middle East in various forms. And good thing too, because this Vegetarian Moussaka Bake is so delicious that everyone should get to try it! The eggplant is tender and sweet, the potatoes are fluffy, the saucy is bubbly and creamy, and there's plenty of savory, aromatic, garden-fresh flavor to go around! It does require a bit of time, but the reward is so worth it!
The Vegetarian Moussaka Bake draws from a rich heritage. Although the most famous version in America is Greek, similar dishes can be found in the Balkans and the Middle East in various forms. And good thing too, because this Vegetarian Moussaka Bake is so delicious that everyone should get to try it! The eggplant is tender and sweet, the potatoes are fluffy, the saucy is bubbly and creamy, and there's plenty of savory, aromatic, garden-fresh flavor to go around! It does require a bit of time, but the reward is so worth it!
Ingredients
For the bake:
- 1 eggplant thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more, to taste
- 1 large zucchini thinly sliced
- 2 potatoes thinly sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 14.5-ounce) can lentils, drained (with juices reserved
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
For the sauce:
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- ground nutmeg to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 large egg beaten
Directions
- Sprinkle the eggplant slices with 1 teaspoon of the salt and allow to sit for 30 minutes. This will cause the eggplant slices to weep their moisture away, which removes most of their bitter flavor.
- Rinse and pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the eggplant and the zucchini to the hot oil and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggplant and the zucchini to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and reserve as much oil as possible in the skillet.
- Add more of the olive oil as needed to the same skillet and heat.
- Add the potato slices to the hot oil and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Transfer the potatoes using a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, and reserve the oil in the skillet.
- In the hot oil, sauté the onion and the garlic until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Pour the vinegar into the onion mixture and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid reduces in volume and thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the tomatoes, the lentils, 1/2 of the juice from the lentils, the parsley, and the oregano.
- Season the tomato mixture to taste with the salt and the black pepper.
- Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Layer 1/3 of the eggplant, 1/3 of the zucchini, 1/2 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the feta in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Pour 1/2 of the tomato mixture over the vegetable layers.
- Repeat the layers once, starting with the eggplant and ending with the tomato mixture.
- Top the tomato mixture with the remaining eggplant and the remaining zucchini.
- Cover the casserole and bake for 25 minutes.
- Stir the milk, the flour, and the butter together in a small saucepan.
- Bring the milk mixture to a low boil and whisk constantly until it is thick and smooth.
- Season the sauce mixture with the nutmeg and the black pepper.
- Transfer the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir the beaten egg into the sauce mixture.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables and top with the parmesan cheese.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbly and the top is lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot.
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