Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spread slices of eggplant over top. Brush with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the eggplant rounds halfway. Once done, carefully remove, and set aside.Note: While the eggplant is roasting, you can start preparing some of the other moussaka components (like the spinach, lentils and sauce).

Step 3

Place spinach, nutmeg and a tiny splash of water (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed sauté (or deep) pan (one that comes with a lid) over medium heat (you can use the same pan later to make the sauce). Cover and cook on the stovetop until just wilted (stir occasionally; this should only take a few minutes). Place the spinach in a fine mesh sieve to squeeze out excess moisture. To do this, I like to press the spinach against the sieve with a spoon, allowing the excess water to flow out. Chop the spinach.Note: You're not pressing the spinach through the sieve, just using it to get rid of that extra water.Note: If you'd rather, you can use a clean tea towel instead of a fine mesh sieve to remove excess moisture from the spinach. To do this, after cooking the spinach, allow it to cool a bit until it's cool enough to handle, place it in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Step 4

Cook lentils in a separate pot on the stovetop according to package instructions. Note: For this recipe, 1 cup of lentils was used and 3 cups of water. Pick over lentils and discard any foreign objects, like rocks, and imperfect lentils. Rinse and drain. Add lentils to a saucepan with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat (to about medium-low heat) to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Don't overcook. Rinse and drain. Set aside.Note: While the lentils are cooking, prepare the sauce.

Step 5

For making the sauce, you can use the same pan you cooked the spinach in. Wipe out pan of any excess moisture. Heat olive oil in the pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion has softened, about 5 minutes.

Step 6

Stir in mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, oregano, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, nutmeg and clove. Cook for 1 minute.

Step 7

Pour in tomatoes and vegetable broth and add bay leaves. Stir. Bring to boil, reduce the heat (to about medium-low heat) to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes (stir occasionally).

Step 8

Remove bay leaves and discard.

Step 9

Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the sauce. You're looking for a consistency similar to a meat sauce. Set aside.

Step 10

Melt butter in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour to form a paste and cook for about 3 minutes.

Step 11

Slowly (about 1/2 cup at a time), whisk in warmed milk. Once milk is added, cook for a few minutes, whisking, until thickened before adding more milk. Continue doing this until all the milk has been used. This could take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 12

Once milk has been used and sauce is thick, stir in black pepper, salt and nutmeg. Turn off heat and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every so often to allow it to cool down (as to not scramble the eggs once added to a hot liquid).

Step 13

Very slowly whisk in egg and egg yolks until it's combined and smooth. Set aside.

Step 14

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 15

Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch deep baking or casserole dish with cooking spray or grease with cooking oil.

Step 16

Layer potato slices on bottom of dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, black pepper and bread crumbs.

Step 17

Layer half of the eggplant on top. Next layer half of the spinach. Then, half of the lentil sauce, spreading out to have an even layer filling the dish. Repeat, starting with eggplant.

Step 18

Pour custard over top (if some seeps down the sides of the casserole, that's okay). Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Step 19

Place dish on a baking sheet (to catch any spills) and bake for 65 to 70 minutes.

Step 20

Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving (don't skip this step).

Step 21

Garnish to taste (if desired) with fresh oregano. Serve and enjoy! Recipe serves 6 to 8.