green.recipes

Vegetarian Moussaka

Roasted eggplant, a lentil and tomato sauce warmed with cinnamon and allspice, and a thick, golden béchamel, layered and baked until bubbling.

Jump to recipe
A plated portion of vegetarian moussaka with eggplant, lentil-tomato filling and a thick golden béchamel crust, AI-generated imageAI-generated image
At a glance
  • 1200 geggplants
  • 700 gwhole milk
  • 400 gchopped tomatoes
  • 200 gyellow onion
  • 200 gbrown or green lentils
Serves 6

Moussaka is a baked dish of layered eggplant, a spiced tomato sauce and a creamy topping. The best-known version is Greek, made with minced meat and a thick béchamel, and related eggplant dishes are cooked across the eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. This vegetarian version swaps the meat for brown or green lentils simmered in tomato with cinnamon, allspice and oregano.

The eggplant is brushed with olive oil and roasted instead of fried, which gives soft, lightly browned slices without a pan of hot oil. The lentil sauce is cooked until thick so the layers hold together, and the béchamel is enriched with eggs and grated cheese so it bakes into a firm, golden top.

Plan on about 3 hours from start to finish, including a 30 minute rest after baking. Do not skip the rest: it lets the layers set so the moussaka cuts into neat squares. The whole dish can also be assembled a day ahead and baked when you need it.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Formula & Method
Servings
6
Units
Where do you shop?

Ingredients

Eggplant

Lentil sauce

Béchamel

View shopping list ->

Preparation

  1. Step 01

    Heat the oven to 220 C (425 F) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line the 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

  2. Step 0210 min

    Trim the eggplants and cut them lengthwise into slices 1 cm (3/8 in) thick. Pour 65 g of the olive oil for the eggplant into a small bowl, keeping the other 10 g for the baking dish. Brush both sides of the slices with the oil in the bowl and lay them in a single layer on the baking sheets, close together but not overlapping. Sprinkle with the 2 g salt.

  3. Step 0325 min

    Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the slices and swapping the trays between the racks halfway through, until the eggplant is soft all the way through when pierced with a knife and golden in patches. Set aside, turn the oven down to 180 C (350 F) and move one rack to the middle.

  4. Step 0410 min

    While the eggplant roasts, start the lentil sauce. Heat the 30 g olive oil for the sauce in the large deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden at the edges.

  5. Step 052 min

    Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice and oregano and cook for 1 minute more, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly.

  6. Step 0617 min

    Add the lentils, bay leaf and the 500 g water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, partly cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

  7. Step 0725 min

    Stir in the chopped tomatoes, sugar, the 4 g salt for the sauce and the black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then and more often toward the end, until the lentils are completely tender with no firm center and the sauce is thick: a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan should leave a clear path that fills in only slowly. If the pan dries out before the lentils are tender, add a few tablespoons of hot water.

  8. Step 081 min

    Take out the bay leaf and stir in the parsley. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed, then take the pan off the heat.

  9. Step 095 min

    Make the béchamel. Warm the milk in the small saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave, until steaming but not boiling. In the medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes, until the mixture bubbles and smells lightly toasted but has not browned.

  10. Step 108 min

    Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking constantly so no lumps form. Turn the heat to medium and keep whisking, reaching into the corners of the pan, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the sauce comes to a gentle boil and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily and hold a line drawn through it with a finger.

  11. Step 117 min

    Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the nutmeg, the 1.5 g salt for the béchamel and 35 g of the cheese. Let it cool for 5 minutes, whisking now and then. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, whisk in a ladleful of the warm sauce, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan and whisk until smooth.

  12. Step 125 min

    Assemble. Brush the baking dish with the reserved 10 g olive oil. Lay half of the eggplant slices over the bottom, overlapping them slightly. Spread all of the lentil sauce on top in an even layer, then cover it with the rest of the eggplant.

  13. Step 132 min

    Pour the béchamel over the top and spread it right to the edges so it seals in the filling. Sprinkle with the remaining 15 g cheese.

  14. Step 1450 min

    Set the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake on the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is puffed and deep golden in patches and the sauce bubbles at the edges. An instant-read thermometer pushed into the center should read at least 74 C (165 F). If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.

  15. Step 1530 min

    Let the moussaka rest for 30 minutes before cutting, so the layers set. Cut it into 6 portions and serve warm.

  16. Step 16

    Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours of baking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32 C (90 F). The resting and serving time counts toward this limit.

Kitchen notes

  • Oven temperatures are for a conventional oven. For a fan (convection) oven, set it 20 C (about 25 F) lower.
  • Make ahead: assemble the moussaka, then cover it and refrigerate it within 2 hours of making the sauces. Bake it within 24 hours. Straight from the refrigerator it needs 60 to 75 minutes at 180 C (350 F), until the center reaches 74 C (165 F). If your baking dish is glass, follow the maker's advice on moving it from the refrigerator to a hot oven.
  • Storage: keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator at 4 C (40 F) or below for up to 3 days. Reheat portions, covered, in a 180 C (350 F) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the microwave, until steaming hot in the center, 74 C (165 F). Baked moussaka also freezes for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • Lentils: brown or green lentils soften but keep their shape. Small French-style green lentils also work but may need 5 to 10 minutes longer. Red lentils break down and make the filling loose.
  • Cheese: for a vegetarian dish, choose a hard cheese whose label says it is made with microbial or plant-based rennet.
  • Variations: some cooks add a bottom layer of thinly sliced potatoes, roasted until tender before assembling, which needs a deeper dish. You can also cook 250 g chopped mushrooms with the onion, until their liquid has evaporated, for a meatier texture.

Diet and allergens

Suitable for: Vegetarian, Nut-free.

Contains: milk, egg, gluten (wheat).

Labels come from the ingredient list by fixed rules. If you cook for someone with an allergy, check the labels of packaged ingredients such as stock, spice blends, tahini and bread, since brands differ. How labels work.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my moussaka watery?

Usually the lentil sauce was too thin or the eggplant was not roasted until soft. Cook the sauce until a spoon leaves a clear path across the pan, roast the eggplant fully, and let the baked moussaka rest for 30 minutes before cutting.

Do I need to salt the eggplant before roasting?

No. Roasting drives off much of the moisture, so the slices are simply brushed with oil and seasoned before they go in the oven.

Can I make vegetarian moussaka ahead?

Yes. Assemble it, then cover and refrigerate it within 2 hours and bake it within 24 hours. From cold it needs 60 to 75 minutes at 180 C (350 F), until the center reaches 74 C (165 F).

Which lentils work best?

Brown or green lentils, because they soften but hold their shape. Red lentils turn to a puree and make the filling loose.

How is Greek moussaka different from Turkish musakka?

Greek moussaka is a layered bake with a thick béchamel on top. Turkish musakka is usually eggplant cooked with a minced meat and tomato sauce, without béchamel, and is often served with rice or yogurt.

References and sources

More to Cook