Moussaka {Veggie}

5 from 1 vote

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can use about 21 ounces of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.

If you're following SCD, soak the lentils in water overnight or about 8 hours. To soak the lentils, add the ¼ cup of dry red lentils to a bowl with twice the amount of water because the lentils expand as they absorb the water.

If you're not eating lentils you can leave them out and still have a great sauce.

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.

If you're avoiding cashews, use sunflower seeds instead. As for the walnuts, I haven't tried any subs but you can leave them out and increase the amount of lentils by another tablespoon or two.

Servings: servings

Calories: 319kcal

Ingredients

Eggplant

2 medium eggplants enough slices for at least two layers with about 8 slices covering each layer
⅓ cup olive oil about 1 teaspoon for each eggplant slice

Moussaka Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
1 large carrot trimmed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste or sub with thick tomato sauce
⅓ cup raw walnuts
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
12 ounces cauliflower rice frozen; if fresh, or one small head trimmed and pulsed in a food processor
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ pounds tomatoes cut into quarters, plum or vine tomatoes work well
3 tablespoons red lentils
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Béchamel

1 cup raw cashews or sunflower seeds; soaked in hot water for 10 minutes or at room temperature for a 6 hours or overnight
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water check this
¼ teaspoon nutmeg check this

Optional Parmesan layer

¼ cup grated or shredded Parmesan or other cheese; optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Eggplant

Preheat your oven to 400℉.
Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or a non-stick mat so clean up is easy.
Trim each eggplant top off and slice each eggplant across to get circular slices.
Place the eggplant slices on the baking pan and use a knife to slice or score diagonal lines in the each eggplant slice.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each eggplant slice.
Bake for 20 minutes or until they are soft and floppy.

Moussaka Sauce

Pulse the carrot pieces in a food processor, or use a knife to chop by hand until finely chopped.
Add the onions and garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or chop by hand.
Warm up a large stock pot on a low heat and add the olive oil.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot mixture to the pot and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato paste and blend in to the mixture in the pot using a spatula or spoon.
Pulse the walnuts in the food processor until very finely chopped, or chop by hand.
Add the walnuts to the pot and blend in to the mixture with a spoon or spatula.
Add the cauliflower rice to the pot and blend in to the mixture with a spoon or spatula.
Add the salt, oregano, cinnnamon, and parsley and blend well.
Pulse the tomatoes in the food processor until crushed, or chop by hand.
Add the tomatoes and lentils to the pot and blend well.
Place a top over the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Add a bit of water if needed while simmering the sauce.

Béchamel

Combine all the ingredient into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Assembly

Preheat your oven to 350℉.
Lightly grease an 8 inch by 12 inch (or 11 or 12 inch round) baking pan or oven-proof skillet.
Divide the eggplant pieces into two groups and place the first layer on the bottom of the pan.
Add the sauce on top of the first layer of eggplant.
Add the second layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce.
Spread the béchamel sauce on top of it. Optionally, lightly sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the béchamel.
Bake for 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for a few months.

Video

Nutrition