Delicious Eggplant Moussaka
This is like eggplant parmesan, but elevated to a new level with even more flavors. While this recipe does take some time to prepare, it's so worth it and perfect for weekends and holidays when you have more time to spend in the kitchen.
Servings: -4
Calories: 300kcal
Equipment
- Blender
- Saucepan
- Another deep and wide saucepan
- Approximately 14 x 10 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 oz mushrooms (I recommend porcini mushrooms, but any type of mushroom will work)
- 1 tsp olive oil (opt)
- 1 onion diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 handful fresh oregano
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 small eggplants or 2 medium/large ones
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1 28oz can of canned tomatoes (I chose San-Marzano)
- 1 cup water
- salt & pepper to taste
- 7 oz vegan feta or ricotta cheese (vegan feta recipes that use tofu would also work)
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups plant-based milk of choice (preferable one that has a neutral flavor)
Instructions
- Cook the 2oz mushrooms with olive oil (optional) in a saucepan until the mushrooms are tender and have shrunken to half of their original size, about 6 minutes. The mushrooms will release water as they cook and allow some of the liquid to evaporate while pouring the rest of the liquid into a cup. Remember to stir the mushrooms every once in a while. Once the mushrooms are done, turn off the heat and set them aside along with the mushroom water.
- In a large and deep pan, cook the onions, garlic, and cinnamon over medium-low heat for 1 minute or until the spices start to get more aromatic. Meanwhile, remove the leaves from the fresh oregano and chop larger leaves into smaller pieces. Next, add in the oregano leaves , cayenne pepper, and vinegar, and turn down the heat to simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes without a lid, stirring at least once every two minutes.
- While this mixture is simmering, slice the eggplants across their long side into ½ inch thick pieces (it's totally fine to use the sides of the eggplants with skin on the outside) and in another saucepan, cook the eggplant slices for about 3 minutes on each side or until they have grown tender and slightly brown. Also, rinse and chop potatoes into ½ inch thick rounds. Peeling the potatoes is optional, but if you do choose to peal them, don't throw the peels away! Peels make delicious, healthy, potato skin chips (you can find the recipe below)! This is also a great time to start preheating the oven to 350°F
- Add the potatoes the to mixture that has been simmering along with the water removed from the mushrooms as they were cooking. Add in the canned tomatoes as well, and if they come in large pieces, use your hand to scrunch them before you add them into the mixture and then add in the 1 cup of water. Turn up the heat to medium heat and let it reduce in size for 30 minutes without a lid, stirring every couple minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the blender, add in the cooked mushrooms, half of the vegan feta or ricotta, plant-based milk, ¼ cup water, and the 2 tsp nutmeg. Blend this until it's smooth and set aside.
- Once the tomato mixture is done cooking for the 30 minutes, taste it and add salt, pepper, and other seasonings as you see fit. Next, spoon in ⅓ of the tomato mixture into the bottom of the 10 x 14 inch (or similar sized) baking dish. Add half of the sliced and cooked eggplants on top, arranged neatly in rows, and ⅓ cup of the mushroom blender mixture. Repeat this same process of adding another ⅓ of the original tomato mixture, the rest of the eggplant, and drizzle another ⅓ cup of the creamy mushroom blend. Finally, sprinkle on the remaining half of the vegan feta or ricotta cheese, and top with the remaining mushroom sauce.
- Bake the casserole for 40min to 1 hour or until the top of the moussaka looks golden, crisp and is slightly bubbling. Serve and enjoy! This recipe is great for dinner parties, special, events, and for making lots of leftovers too if you want to enjoy it over the course of a week.