Vegetarian Moussaka

Vegetarian moussaka is a delicious and healthy twist on the classic Greek moussaka. It is prepared with layers of vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini, as well as a creamy and thick béchamel sauce. Baked until the top is golden brown and crispy, it’s a satisfying meal for veggie lovers.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggplants
• 230 g coral lentils
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 zucchini
• 1 box of organic tomato pulp of 400 g (or homemade tomato coulis is even better!)
• a pinch of sugar
• oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• 100 g grated Emmental cheese
• For the bechamel sauce
• 50 g butter (you can substitute with oil)
• 50g flour
• 500 ml of milk (vegetable or not)

Preparation

1. Rinse the aubergines and remove the stem. Save the skin and cut slices no more than 1 cm thick lengthwise. Salt the slices of aubergine and let them soak in the salt for 2 hours, so they will release all their water. This step is not necessary but I usually do it.
2. Arrange the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and generously brush each slice with olive oil using a kitchen brush. If you haven’t salted your aubergines yet, salt at this stage before baking at 220°C in grill mode for 10 to 15 minutes. They should be golden brown. Book.
3. In a pan of unsalted water, cook the red lentils for 8 to 10 minutes (refer to the cooking time indicated on the package).
4. Prepare the tomato sauce. Chop the onion, peel and chop the garlic. Wash the zucchini and cut it into small sticks. In a skillet, sweat the chopped onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add the minced garlic, let brown for a minute before adding the zucchini sticks. Let brown for a few minutes. Add the tomato pulp, a pinch of sugar, the oregano, the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Prepare the béchamel. Melt the butter cut into pieces in a saucepan, add the flour and leave to brown without ceasing to stir with a whisk or better still the magic spoon. Gradually add the milk and stir until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add 2/3 of the grated cheese, reserve the last third to sprinkle the top of the dish at the end of the assembly.
6. Add the cooked lentils to the tomato sauce. Mix and remove the bay leaf.
   In a gratin dish, place a layer of eggplant in the bottom of the dish (allow 3 layers), pour half of the tomato sauce and red lentil preparation. On top pour 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Repeat with a layer of eggplant, the rest of the tomato and lentil sauce, bechamel sauce and then a final layer of eggplant. Cover with the last 1/3 of béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
   Bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes.