The weather here in Manchester has been rather cold recently, so I have had to resort to my favourite winter warmer classics, such as this Moussaka. This recipe is from the magazine Vegetarian Living April issue – if you haven’t already, you should check it out as they have some incredible recipes and sustainable living ideas and products.
To save on prep, use your food processor to cut the veg for you, that way you shorten the prep and have more time to relax while the meal bakes in the oven – what more could you want for a Tuesday meal after work?
To make it vegan, use Sheese or Cheezly as an alternative to the cream cheese and cheddar.
I have once again, added my little tweaks.
Vegetable and Lentil Moussaka
2 aubergines, sliced into discs
5 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
120 ml vegetarian wine
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1 small courgette, finely sliced
handful of fresh dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g red lentils
400g can of chopped tomatoes
600g potatoes, peeled and sliced
50 ml of oat milk, soya milk or dairy milk
2 free-range eggs
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1/2 tub of vegetarian soft cheese
freshly ground salt and pepper
a small amount of grated vegetarian cheddar for the topping (optional….but VERY tasty!)
TIP! For the sliced vegetables, I used the slicing blade on my food processor to speed up the process and give a more interesting texture to the mixture.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and 2 tbsp olive oil and bake, in a single layer, for 15-20 minutes
Meanwhile, put the onions in large frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp water, cover and cook on low for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft but not coloured
Remove the lid and add the wine, boil on a high heat until the wine has reduced by half
Add the sliced carrot, pepper, courgette, dill, oregano and cinnamon and fry until they turn golden
Add the lentils, tomatoes and 240 ml water and simmer on low for 20 minutes
Fry the potatoes in the remaining oil until they are golden on both sides and has started to soften, remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper
To assemble the moussaka, lay half of the aubergine on the bottom of an oven proof dish then cover with half the lentil mixture, topping with half the potatoes
Repeat the layering,
Beat the eggs with the oat milk, cream cheese, lemon zest and nutmeg to make the topping
Spoon the topping over the final layer of potatoes
Sprinkle over the grated cheddar, if using
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown
Serve with a crisp herb salad
This is great for leaving warming left overs for work (if you are only cooking for 2, of course!)