Moussaka Meat Or Vegetarian Recipes

VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA - CLASSIC GREEK CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Slice up your eggplant, then sprinkle it with a salt and leave it for 30 minutes. Pat it dry. Next brush with olive oil on both sides, place on baking sheet, season with pepper and roast on 400F for 12-15 minutes, until soft; Remove from the oven and let them cool;
• Slice up your zucchini, and season with salt and pepper. Brush with oil on both sides, and place on baking sheet and bake with eggplants for about 12-15 minutes; Remove from the oven and let them cool;
• Peel and slice potatoes and cook them in a slightly salted boiling water until fork tender for about 10 minutes; place them in a colander to discard the water and let them cool;
• To prepare your spinach/feta layer, start off by chopping some onions and garlic;
• In a skillet, heat up the olive oil, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent;
• Add garlic and cook for an additional minute;
• Add spinach and let it cook down until totally wilted;
• Then add fresh dill, salt, and pepper and set aside to cool off. This would be the time to adjust seasoning, but be careful with the salt as feta will add some saltiness to this mix.
• In a bowl beat 2 eggs, add feta, salt, and pepper;
• Once the spinach mixture is cooled, add it to the bowl, mix everything together and set it aside.
• To make a tomato sauce you'll start off the same way as above with spinach/feta layer:
• Heat up some olive oil, add onions and cook until translucent;
• Add garlic and cook for one more minute;
• Then add spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, & oregano;
• Add pureed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Then cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes;
• Adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) as needed.
• In a skillet, melt butter; then add flour and whisk vigorously;
• Gradually start adding milk and mixing it in, until the sauce is smooth;
• Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg;
• Turn off the heat;
• Add Parmesan cheese and mix well;
• This would be the time to check for seasoning and adjust accordingly;
• Beat 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk and add them to the béchamel sauce, mixing thoroughly.
• Preheat the oven to 350F;
• Using a 9X13" casserole dish, brush it with olive oil or spray with cooking spray;
• Add slices of eggplant and top them with slices of zucchinis;
• Then add tomato sauce;
• Add another layer of eggplant;
• Add a layer of spinach/feta mix;
• Add sliced potatoes;
• Top it all of with your béchamel sauce;
• Sprinkle it with some more Parmesan Cheese;
• Bake it in the oven for 50-55, minutes until golden brown and bubbly;
• Let it cool off for about 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rinse and pat eggplant dry. Cook eggplant and zucchini in hot oil until lightly browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side; remove with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving as much oil as possible in the skillet
• Adding more oil to skillet as needed and let it get hot. Cook potato slices in hot oil until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side; remove with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, again reserving oil in the skillet.
• Saute onion and garlic in reserved oil until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in vinegar, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; cook until liquid is reduced in volume and thick. Stir in tomatoes, lentils, 1/2 the juice from lentils, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Layer about 1/3 of the eggplant, 1/3 of the zucchini, 1/2 the potatoes, 1/2 the onions, and 1/2 the feta into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant and zucchini.
• Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Stir butter, flour, and milk together in a small saucepan; bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and nutmeg; stir. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, and stir in beaten egg.
• Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.

VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Boil spinach for one minute, drain and reserve the liquid.
• Put 450 ml of the water into a pan and add the lentils.
• Cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs of oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes until soft and golden.
• Stir the mushrooms into the onions, increase the heat and season generously.
• Cook until juicy and darkened in colour.
• Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook briskly for 5 minutes until thickened but still quite liquid.
• Add the lentils and any cooking liquid, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cumin.
• Simmer gently for a few minutes.
• Squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and stir it into the pan.
• Add a little water if the stew seems too dry.
• Boil the potatoes in salted water, drain, cool slightly and slice lengthways.
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 F or 200 degrees C.
• Trim the eggplant and slice lengthways about 1/2 cm thick.
• Smear a baking sheet with remaining oil, lay out the slices.
• Bake for 15 minutes, turn and cook the other side for a further 5 minutes until soft.
• Reduce the temperature to 360 F or 180 degrees C.
• Take a 2-litre capacity dish at least 5 cm deep and make a layer with half the potatoes, then half the eggplant, followed by the mushroom mixture, the rest of the eggplant and the rest of the potatoes.
• To make the topping, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and gradually add the milk and bring it to the boil.
• Simmer for a few minutes, add the parmesan and the ricotta mixed with the egg.
• Remove from the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Pour the sauce over the moussaka and dust with nutmeg.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is set and golden.