vegetarian eggplant moussaka

Ready for the BEST vegetarian moussaka recipe?! Layers of roasted eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini with a tasty chunky tomato-lentil sauce nestled in, and topped with creamy bechamel sauce!

This roasted vegetable moussaka is easier to put together than you think. Be sure to check out my step-by-step tutorial and grab my make-ahead tips.

BEST Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe

eggplants

Salt

Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise (1/2-inch in thickness)

virgin olive oil

olive oil

all-purpose flour

tsp salt, more if you like

nutmeg

2% milk, warmed

eggs

yellow onion, chopped

garlic cloves,

COOKED black lentils

tomatoes

broth

dry oregano

cinnamon

Salt Eggplant

While oven is heating, spread eggplant slices on a large pan lined with paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels

Make the Bechamel

While the eggplant is sitting, work on the bechamel sauce. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook until golden (if needed, added a little more olive oil). Gradually add the warmed milk, whisking continuously. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of the hot bechamel mixture with the 2 eggs. Then return all to the pan with the remaining bechamel mixture. Continue to stir or whisk the mixture bringing to a gentle boil for just 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken a little more (you should have a creamy, thick and smooth bechamel sauce).

Make Lentil Sauce

In a cooking pot or large non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Sautee onions and garlic for a brief 3 to 4 minutes till fragrant, tossing regularly. Stir in COOKED black lentils, crushed tomatoes and broth or water. Season with a dash of kosher salt, and add oregano, nutmeg and a small pinch of ground cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover only part-way. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or so.

Bake Vegetables

While lentil sauce is simmering, bake the vegetables. Arrange the potatoes, zucchini and eggplant slices on lightly oiled baking sheets. Brush with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes just until tender.

Assemble Vegetarian Moussaka in a 9 x 13 baking dish

First, pour a bit of the lentil sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and spread. Layer the vegetables on top. Add the remainder of the lentil sauce. Finally, spread bechamel sauce on top, making sure to smooth it out well with the back of a spoon.

Bake

Place moussaka casserole on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until top bechamel layer turns golden brown.(If needed, place under broiler and watch very carefully till top turns a nice golden brown.)

Remove from heat and let sit for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Cut into 12 squares. Enjoy!

Instructions

I made it for the first time today and was really happy with the result. I am not a fan of black lentils so used green lentils instead . I wanted to ask if you could use quorn also?

I used quorn grounds when I made this last night. So good, and cut down on the prep time as I just added them to the simmering sauce!

Yum! I made this for a hearty weekend lunch and it was divine! The bechamel sauce didn't all fit on top, so I reserved some and used it as the base to stuff portabella mushrooms to pair with the moussaka. Thank you!

Hi,
I live in the uk. I made your recipe but the measurements were all guesswork. It was delicious but very saucy. Are you able to send me the measurements in grams or ounces please?

This came out absolutely perfect. Thank you for a great recipe.

Omg this was so tasty! I made full quantity of lentil sauce but half quantity of potato aubergine and courgette then layered it all up (except bechemal) and left in fridge for 3 days then cooked straight from fridge at 130c slowly then turned oven up to nearer 180c it was in oven a while. Let it sit for 15mins out of oven and served with green salad. Really lovely. My first beluga lentil experience. I too used almond milk for the bechemal which I find means it’s less likely to dry out. Delicious and I’ve 3 portions in the freezer

This is a nice dish, but it doesn't really taste like moussaka to me. The tomato flavor is overwhelming even though I added a bit less tomatoes than the recipe calls for, and I can't taste the nutmeg. Also, after I baked it, the bechamel tastes more like bland custard than bechamel. And maybe I am slower than most cooks, but with all the prep this recipe took me significantly longer than 90 minutes.

This is such a great vegetarian moussaka recipe! It definitely requires a bit more prep than an average weeknight meal, but it's so worth it (and we were more than happy to eat the leftovers for 2 days!). I will say that the recipe makes quite a bit so if your baking pan is small just assemble the extras in a separate dish for a freezer meal to bake later!

This recipe is absolutely delicious! My family loves it. I used to make meat moussaka, but since going vegetarian I've been looking for a vegetarian version that I like and this is IT! The only thing I did differently was add a cup of fresh grated parmesan/pecorino cheeses to the bechamel sauce. I'm going to cook with lentils more often. Thank you!

I needed to cut this in half as it's just my husband and I - so it was a little tricky to make sure I would have the right results. I still used 2 eggs but did most everything else in half and used green lentils bc I didn't have black. 
This was a lot of work, lots of pieces to this recipe....a lot of pots and pans, mixing bowls and clean up - I won't lie. This isn't a last minute throw-it-together kind of dish. I am not well versed on making bechamel. I've only done it a few times ever so that def took time.
But, the end result was great. I loved the dish and I would do it again when I had the energy and lots of time.

Nice recipe, thank you very much for posting it. The ingredients are unusual for Moussakka but delicious. And it was very easy to make it vegan, just omitting the eggs produces a perfect bechamel. It is a great way to use up a lot of the veggies we store all winter from our huge gardens. I have also made this for non-veggie friends and it's always a hit.

It has just gone into the oven. Looks great, but I found the proportions not quite right. For a 9x13 dish I had way too much vegetable and way to much bechamel sauce. I was overly generous and was still left with 1/3 of the sauce. I could have halved it. also the veg had to be laid out in double and triple is some parts. . .  maybe our veg are larger in Australia?! That said - could have had more lentils as they felt sparse in some areas. That said I am expecting great flavours so will adjust next time

Phenomenal. Takes a little bit of work, but boy is it worth it! I learned something new: tempered eggs. I added them at their refrigerated temperature, not knowing any better, but luckily had no incidents. I only had one eggplant, and too much potato— next time will go for two eggplants cut thicker and smaller potatoes. Boy, it was tasty. Leftovers tomorrow. 
One question: can you freeze leftovers?

This was my first attempt at a mousakka and it turned out nearly perfectly although took longer than the recipe suggested. I added some sweet potato as well which suited the overall flavour of the dish. The sauce worked really well using GF plain flour so our coeliac family members could join in as well. I found that the eggplant needed a lot less roasting time than the other vegetables.

This recipe was absolutely delicious- though we ended up with way too many veggies for a 9x13 so we used a bigger pan. This is the third recipe I have tried from your site and have loved them all (especially the Greek style eggplant dish!). Thank you so much for sharing these recipes and helping me expand my world of food.

May I ask what are Tempered eggs ? I have never heard this expression before.  Do you mean separated whites from yoik or just beaten whole egg?  Thank you

Besides being a complete dish in itself, this recipe was extremely flavorful enjoyed by the entire family. I loved the use of freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon in the lentils.

Top 1 vegetarian eggplant moussaka recipes from across the web

The most viewed vegetarian eggplant moussaka recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

BEST Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe

Top 1 vegetarian eggplant moussaka recipes from across the web

The most viewed vegetarian eggplant moussaka recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

BEST Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe

The most viewed vegetarian eggplant moussaka recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine