Moussaka {Veggie}

The first time I had moussaka was while growing up in New York City. My family went to a small Greek restaurant in lower Manhattan, and I fell in love with Greek food after having this Mediterranean dish. It's a classic made with layers of roasted eggplant, an herby cinnamon tomato-based sauce with ground meat (usually lamb), and a béchamel sauce on top.

In my quest to transform some of my favorite dishes into vegetarian versions, I've created a Veggie Moussaka with the same great flavor and texture, and no meat, flour, grain, or dairy, other than the Parmesan cheese on top, which is optional.

There are so many ways to make this recipe. You can make it in parts ahead of time and assemble before baking. Or prepare it ahead and then bake when ready. You can also freeze it and then thaw it in the refrigerator before baking.

Moussaka is traditionally made with eggplant but if you're not a fan you can sub with zucchini strips and prepare them in the same way as the eggplant.

There are four steps to this recipe:

1. Roast the eggplant.
2. Simmer the moussaka sauce.
3. Blend the béchamel sauce. 
4. Assemble and bake

Just a note about salting: I don't salt the eggplant to sweat out the moisture as most do, but feel free to do that if you prefer. I prefer to roast the eggplant for 15 minutes or so until they are tender.

If you're really into a thick layer of béchamel sauce then I'd recommend you double the recipe. I like this layer a bit on the thinner side and then I grate a small chunk of Parmesan on top. If you're not doing dairy at all, then just leave the Parmesan out and it will still taste delightful. Enjoy!