The Best Vegan Moussaka Food

VEGAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Start off by putting your tofu on to press. If you have a tofu press, then this is perfect to use, but if not, you can place the block of tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or a heavy stack of books. Let it press for 20 minutes.
• While the tofu is pressing, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Slice the eggplant into round slices about 1/4 inch thick and place them onto parchment lined baking sheets (we used two half sheet trays).
• Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
• Place the eggplant into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, turning them over at the halfway mark.
• Add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles. Add to a mixing bowl.
• Add sliced mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add to the mixing bowl.
• When the tofu is pressed, mash it with a fork and add it to the mixing bowl.
• Add the lentils to the mixing bowl and toss everything together.
• Add olive oil, chopped onion, celery and red bell pepper to a pot and sauté until softened.
• Add crushed garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, rosemary and cinnamon. Sauté for a minute to lightly toast the spices.
• Now add the walnut, mushroom, tofu and lentil mix and toss together with the vegetables and spices.
• Add tomato paste, marinara sauce and soy sauce and fry for about 8 minutes until you have cooked off any excess liquid and have a delicious soft mince texture.
• Add coconut sugar, black pepper and sea salt to taste.
• Add olive oil to a pot and heat it. Add the flour and fry it in the oil briefly. Add in all the soy milk at once and stir vigorously until well combined.
• Alternate between a wooden spoon and a whisk while heating to remove any lumps. It can tend to stick to the bottom of the pot so make sure you are scraping the bottom of the pot constantly and then whisking it in.
• Keep stirring and whisking until it reaches a rolling boil and then let it boil while you continue to stir until it thickens.
• When it's thickened, add black pepper and salt to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place half of the roasted eggplant along the bottom of a 9x13 oven-safe dish. Add all the vegan mince on top of the eggplant and smooth it down into a thick layer.
• Top the vegan mince with the remaining sliced eggplant. Add all of the bechamel sauce on top and smooth it down with the back of a spoon.
• Place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes switching to grill for the last 5 minutes so that it can brown on top.
• Let it cool for 10 minutes on the countertop before serving.
• Decorate with sprinkles of dried oregano, paprika, ground black pepper and sprigs of fresh rosemary.

VEGAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Pour 800ml boiling water over the dried porcini and leave for 10 mins until hydrated. Meanwhile, pour 1½ tbsp oil into a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring for 10 mins until soft. Remove the porcini from the liquid, keeping the mushroomy stock and roughly chop. Set both aside.
• Add the garlic and thyme to the pan. Cook for 1 min, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute more. Pour in the red wine, if using, cook until nearly reduced, then add the lentils, reserved mushroom stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer with the lid on.
• Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan. Add 1½ tbsp oil and tip all of the mushrooms into the pan, including the rehydrated ones. Fry until all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are deep golden brown. Pour in the soy sauce. Give everything a good mix, then scrape the mushrooms into the lentil saucepan.
• Stir in the Marmite, then continue to cook the ragu, stirring occasionally, over a low-medium heat for 30-45 mins until the lentils are cooked and the sauce is thick and reduced, adding extra water if necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs and season to taste.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil, then cook until mashable.
• Meanwhile, mix the remaining 5 tbsp oil with the oregano, then brush the aubergine slices with most of it and sprinkle with sea salt. Griddle for 3 mins on each side until soft.
• Drain and mash the potatoes with the soya milk. Season to taste.
• Spoon the ragu into a large lasagne dish (or two smaller ovenproof dishes), layer in ½ the aubergine, followed by the mash. Brush the remaining oregano oil across the mash, then finish by topping with the remaining aubergine slices. Bake in the oven for 25-35 mins until golden and bubbling.

VEGAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil 3 baking sheets.
• Veg: Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices lengthwise. Places them into a colander and sprinkle with salt -- rub the salt around so that it reaches all sides on all pieces. Set the colander aside to sweat for about 15 minutes (takes away any bitterness).
• In the meantime slice the zucchini into similar 1/4 inch slices lengthwise. Peel the potatoes then slice the same way.
• Rinse the eggplant and pat dry.
• Place each vegetable onto it's own baking sheet. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of oil over all the veg, rubbing around so that all sides get covered. The eggplant will need a little more oil, and it does stick more easily. Sprinkle the zucchini and potato with salt. Spread out the veg, overlapping is OK and probably necessary to fit everything on. Roast all the veg until lightly browned around the edges - roughly 15 minutes for the eggplant and zucchini and 20 minutes for the potatoes.
• Tomato Sauce: Combine the remaning 1/4 cup oil and garlic in a large pan. Heat over medium heat and let the garlic sizzle for about a minute and then add in the shallots. Cook until transulcent, about 5 minutes. Add in the tin of crushed tomatoes (entire tin, no straining). Add the oregano, cinnamon and bay leaf. Leave that covered, to simmer for about 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightl and reduce. Turn off the heat and adjust salt to taste. Remove bay leaf.
• Topping: Using a food processor, blend the pine nuts and lemon juice into a paste. Add the tofu, garlic, arrowroot, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth.
• Putting it together: Lightly oil a casserole dish (ie 9 x 13). Reheat the oven to 400. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of eggplant, a layer of potatoes another 1/2 cup of sauce and half of the breadcrumbs.
• Assess how much eggplant and potato you have left. If you can do 2 more layers, then do another sequence of sauce/eggplant/potato/sauce. If you can only do 1 more layer then move on to the next zucchini step.
• Spread all of the zucchini over this, then top with another layer of eggplant/potato/sauce, and the rest of the breadcrumbs.
• Spread the pine nut topping on last, using a spatula to spread it out as best you can without disturbing the layers underneath.
• Bake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a few cracks have formed in the topping. Allow to set 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

EASY VEGAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Put the aubergine slices in a large bowl and drizzle in 2 tbsp of the oil, season and toss well. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook the aubergine slices, in batches, for 1 min on each side until charred and softening, then set aside on a plate. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan and tip in the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 15 mins until softened, then add the garlic, oregano, cinnamon and cumin, and fry for a minute. Add the tomato purée and cook for another minute. Tip in the tomatoes and green lentils along with half a can of water, season and simmer for 15 mins until thickened.
• Fill a large saucepan with lightly salted boiling water and cook the potato slices for 7 mins. Drain well. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a 25 x 30cm baking dish, start by adding a third of the tomato sauce, topped with a third of the aubergine slices and a third of the potato slices. Repeat twice more.
• For the white sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then tip in the flour and cook, stirring, for a minute. Gradually add the Elmlea Plant Double, a little at a time, whisking well between each addition. Season well and grate in some nutmeg to taste. Continue whisking until the mixture has come to a simmer and has thickened slightly, then pour straight over the moussaka. Bake for 30 mins until bubbling, then grill for 5 mins to brown the top.