Vegan Meatless Moussaka

You're probably gonna think I'm nuts. I mean, after all, three days till Thanksgiving and I'm experimenting with Moussaka??!!! What the heck, where's the traditional fare?

In an effort to come up with a menu that centered on vegetarian and vegan options, I thought that Meatless Moussaka would do the trick. And anyway, we're doing Thanksgiving on Saturday, not on Thursday. It just worked out that everyone is going to either inlaws or friends houses on Thursday. So we decided to have our immediate family come to us for a T-giving meal on Saturday. Everyone will have had their fill of the usual Thanksgiving fare, they might even have had their fill of leftovers. And I figure they'll be in the mood for something a little different.

This recipe is a hybrid - a combination of a recipe in an old Weight Watchers cookbook and one from Veganomicon, one of my fave go-to vegan cookbooks, plus some tweaks on my part. Not a quick weeknight throw together kinda meal, but definitely company-worthy.

Vegan Meatless Moussaka
adapted by Ellen Allard

1 (1 lb.) eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 lbs. Russet or baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 12 oz container Mori-Nu Silken Tofu
1 tsp arrowroot powder
1 clove garlic
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp salt
white pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 x 12 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on one of the baking sheets. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on the other baking sheet. Bake until softened, about 20 - 25 minutes. Rotate pans front to back halfway through baking. When done, remove from pan to cool.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick saucepan. Pour in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, TVP, bell pepper, wine, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

While the tomato sauce is cooking, blend the pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until a creamy paste forms. Add the tofu, garlic, arrowroot, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth.

Layer the eggplant in the baking dish; top with the potato slices; top with the tomato mixture and spread until smooth. Top with the cream mixture and spread until smooth. Bake until hot in the center and golden on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Click here for printable recipe



To all of my readers, have a wonderful, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving!