Plant-Packed Aubergine Moussaka
This is one of those recipes we keep coming back to when we want to really impress someone, or honestly just treat ourselves on a Sunday. Layers of tender, golden aubergine, a deep and smoky tomato ragu, and a creamy cashew bechamel on top that goes all golden and bubbling in the oven. It takes a bit of time and effort, we won't lie, but every single minute is worth it. Make this tonight and you will not regret it.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Reduce oven to 180°C (step 5)
- Soak cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes
- Salt aubergine slices & let sit for 30 minutes
- Blender
- Large frying pan
- 2x baking sheets
- Ovenproof dish
- Colander
Ingredients
- 100g cashews
- 250ml plant-based milk
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Salt & pepper
- ½ lemon
- 2 large aubergines
- salt
- olive oil
- 2 x 250g pouches of puy lentils
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 500ml Passata
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 large potatoes
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- olive oil
- handful of breadcrumbs
Method
1
Begin the aubergine and cashews
- Slice the aubergine into thick rounds. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let them sit for about 30 minutes to draw out excess moisture
- Soak the cashews in boiling water for at least 30 minutes
2
For the ragu
- Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in the large frying pan. Once hot, add the onion with a big pinch of salt and saute for 7-8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Next, add the cinnamon, oregano and chilli flakes and saute for a further minute. Add the lentils and passata and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more spices if you’d like
3
Bake the aubergine and potato
- After 30 minutes, wipe the salt off the eggplant slices
- Arrange them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil
- Cut the potatoes into slices about 3mm thick (no need to peel). Rinse them under cold running water. Pat dry and place them on a separate baking sheet. Season with salt and oregano and drizzle with olive oil
- Bake the aubergine and potatos for 20-25 minutes or until the eggplant is tender and the potatoes are golden. Set aside
4
For the bechamel
- Drain the cashews and rinse with cold water. Put them into a blender with plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, tahini, garlic, onion powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper and juice from half lemon. Blend to a smooth cream. Set aside
5
Assemble, bake and serve
- Reduce the temperature of the oven to 180*C
- Roughly chop the parsley
- Cover the base of the ovenproof dish with all of the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Next, layer ½ of the aubergine rounds. Next the ragu, Then the other ½ aubergine and finish with bechamel. Sprinkle with breadrcumbs and drizzle with olive oil
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling round the side
- Allow the moussaka to sit for 10 minutes before serving in the middle of the table
Tips & Variations
- Salt the aubergine properly: We know 30 minutes feels like a long time but it genuinely transforms the texture. Pat the slices dry before you cook them and they'll go beautifully golden rather than steaming in the pan.
- Make it ahead: This moussaka actually tastes even better the next day once everything has settled together. Make the whole thing, let it cool, refrigerate it and reheat it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Perfect for a dinner party where you don't want to be stressed.
- Cashew swap: If you're nut-free, you can blend silken tofu with a little plant milk, nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lemon to make the bechamel instead. It works really well and keeps that creamy topping we love.
Why This Works
The trick here is salting the aubergine and letting it sit before you cook it. It draws out the moisture so you get a lovely tender slice that holds its shape in the layers rather than going soggy. And soaking the cashews properly is what gives that bechamel its silky, creamy texture, so don't skip either of those steps. Trust us on this one.