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Home » Greek Recipes » Quick And Easy Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe

Quick And Easy Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe

Author: Karon Grieve Published : January 2015

Recipe
easy vegetarian moussaka pin image

Moussaka has to be the most quintessential of all the Greek dishes. It’s what we remember from our holidays and of course, food is just packed with memories. This easy vegetarian moussaka recipe is a lighter version of this classic dish and one that I truly love and make time and again.

super easy vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

Vegetarian Moussaka

The new year means January and that means pretty cold and miserable weather here in Scotland. After all the fuss and hoopla of Christmas the dark nights and cold weather can suddenly seem a tad overwhelming.

One thing is called for it this situation – comfort food and if you can make it healthy comfort food then all the better. This easy vegetarian moussaka definitely ticks both boxes and gets my vote for good eats for January.

easy vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

Moussaka memories……

Food makes memories but I’m ashamed to admit that my very best memories of moussaka are having it served with chips (fries) and a Greek salad at a beach-side taverna in Corfu many years ago when I worked there as a holiday rep.

Ashamed, in that all you health food freaks out there will be wincing at the mere thought of eating chips with anything, far less something already loaded with carbs in the first place.

But in reality, am I remotely ashamed? Hell no, it was great moussaka and those were fabulous days – aaah to dream. Youth, sunshine, Greek islands, great friends and way too much booze, what was there not to like, oh and the food was good too…..

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

Traditional moussaka

Moussaka is the Greek version of our own Shepherd’s pie. Simple, filling comfort food meant to feed a family.

In a traditional Greek Moussaka recipe, layers of juicy lamb or beef mince are cooked in a tomato sauce, layered with aubergine slices (eggplants) and creamy béchamel sauce and baked all together until golden and sheer perfection.

easy vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

How to make moussaka vegetarian

I love moussaka and usually make it with lamb mince in the traditional way.

But this time I thought I’d go meat free with this easy vegetable moussaka.  I’ve made this meat free moussaka by replacing the usual lamb mince with a delicious mixture of mushrooms, lentils and chickpeas.

These gave great flavour and texture to my vegetarian moussaka recipe.

A lighter moussaka

This veggie moussaka recipe is lighter due to not going for the traditional bechamel sauce used in moussaka.

Instead, I have opted for a Greek yogurt topping. This is lighter but just as tasty. This lighter vegetarian moussaka really does tick all the boxes for a really healthy moussaka recipe.

easy vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

Greek flavours

Of course moussaka needs to have those fabulous Greek flavours. And my easy vegetarian moussaka is no exception.

I still packed in those all-important flavours in my veggie moussaka recipe. There is garlic, thyme and oregano, and the grating of nutmeg in the creamy cheese and yogurt sauce just makes it so luxurious and tasty.

So even if you are a confirmed carnivore (and my daughter Idgy is just that) give this easy vegetarian moussaka a go, I’m sure you’ll love my meat-free moussaka just as much as we do.

easy vegetarian moussaka by larderlove

Can you make this ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this meat-free moussaka up to a day in advance and then just pop it in the oven. Great if you are having friends round for supper.

How long will veggie moussaka keep?

This vegetable moussaka recipe will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remember if you are reheating leftovers they must be piping hot.

Can you freeze this vegetarian moussaka?

Yes, cover the moussaka well in foil and place in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost your vegetarian moussaka thoroughly before reheating in the oven till piping hot.

larder link

How to serve moussaka

Whether it’s a vegetarian moussaka like this one or a traditional moussaka a Greek salad is always the perfect accompaniment. Check out my recipe for a simple Greek Salad.

How many does this vegetarian moussaka serve?

This recipe is for 4 servings, or two VERY substantial servings, just how hungry are you? Want more meat-free moussaka? Then Just double up the recipe to make more.

What size of dish to use?

I’ve used a ceramic baking dish that measures 28 x 19 x 6cm

As this easy-to-follow Greek vegetarian moussaka recipe never fails to impress you may well want to make more. It’s such a crowd-pleaser!

larder links

Looking for more gorgeous Greek comfort food ideas? Then check these out before you go;

Gigantes Plaki (Greek giant beans in tomato sauce)

Soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs in tomato sauce)

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

Traditional Stifado (Greek beef stew)

Pastitsio (the Greek version of lasagne!)

Keftedes (Greek fried meatballs)

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
easy vegetarian moussaka

Easy Vegetarian Moussaka

Karon Grieve
An easy recipe for a meat free and healthy mousaka
4.03 from 43 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
Course savoury
Cuisine Greek
Servings 4 people
Calories 307 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 aubergine
  • 300 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 65 g green lentils
  • 112 g mushrooms sliced
  • 200 g canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 200 g canned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree

Topping

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • extra parmesan and a little dried oregano to sprinkle on top
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F/G4
  • Slice the aubergine into rounds approximately 0.5cm/1/4″ wide and layer in a colander with salt for 30 mins, then rinse and pat dry.
  • Bring the lentils in the vegetable stock along with the bay leaf to the boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes and then drain them.
  • Saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of the olive oil for 5 minutes.
  • Add the drained lentils, mushrooms, chickpeas, tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, oregano, thyme and water – bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Season the veggie mix with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Fry the aubergine slilces in the remaining tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes, flipping after 3 minutes.
  • In an oven proof dish layer the aubergine slices with the vegetable mixture.
  • Make the creamy topping by beating together the egg, parmesan cheese, yogur and nutmeg. Season to taste.
  • Sprinkle with remaining cheese and a lilttle oregano.
  • Spoon the creamy topping over the mousaka and pop the dish into the oven for 45 minutes or until golden on top.

Notes

This easy vegetarian moussaka will serve 4 people with a salad on the side. Or it would make 2 VERY big portions if you were seriously hungry.
Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, defrost thoroughly and reheat till piping hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 16gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 445mgPotassium: 878mgFiber: 14gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 461IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 4mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Keyword moussaka, vegetarian moussaka
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

 

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Greek Recipes, Main Dishes, Trending Now, Vegetarian Recipes

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Comments

  1. benny@easyhomecooking says

    February 9, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    5 stars
    We Have our own recipe for an easy meat version of Moussaka. We often like to have a meat free day at home often on a Monday. We look forward to trying your meat free version very soon.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      February 21, 2016 at 11:29 am

      Glad you like the recipe and hope it is added to your Meat Free Mondays.
      K x

      Reply
      • Linda says

        March 23, 2018 at 10:09 am

        Not meat free. Not vegetarian. Parmesan contains rennet from calves stomachs.

        Reply
        • Karon Grieve says

          March 27, 2018 at 8:44 am

          You can get vegetarian parmesan cheese, I assume that anyone vegetarian would indeed be using the vegetarian version of this cheese.

          Reply
  2. Elizabeth Torres says

    March 14, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    Hi, I’d like to make sure the lentils you’ve used are dried and not canned. If they are, would it be possible to do it with canned ones? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 15, 2016 at 8:30 am

      Hi Elizabeth
      Yes youy could use tinned lentils, just drain and rinse first.
      K x

      Reply
  3. Karin Klompe says

    June 14, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Hi – sounds fab – thanks for the recipe. If I want to make it in advance – would you recommend cooking it first?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      June 20, 2016 at 5:55 pm

      Yes cook and then freeze. Or just reheat if putting in the fridge
      K x

      Reply
  4. JEssie says

    July 4, 2016 at 10:06 am

    OHHHH DELICIOUS!
    This is amazing. We don’t eat much meat so I’m always looking for ways to cram protein into my day. Baked yogurt- delicious!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      July 28, 2016 at 9:21 am

      Glad you like the recipe.
      K

      Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      July 28, 2016 at 9:24 am

      Glad you like the recipe
      K

      Reply
  5. Deb Pratt says

    December 22, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    Love LarderLove!! Thank you for your creativity and posts. Best Holiday wishes!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 28, 2016 at 10:41 am

      Thanks Deb that’s really nice of you
      K x

      Reply
  6. Lorna says

    August 10, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today and it was really nice. I substituted mixed beans for the chickpeas and lentils, because that was what I had to hand, and it was very tasty. I served it with hot pitta bread and everyone enjoyed it. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      August 24, 2017 at 9:44 am

      sounds super well done

      Reply
  7. Maria says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Do you have a suggestion to use instead of egg?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      November 3, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      Sorry I don’t
      Kx

      Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      November 23, 2017 at 8:15 am

      Sorry no

      Reply
  8. Tricia says

    November 27, 2017 at 11:17 am

    I’m thinking of doing this for 8 people. Have you made larger quantities successfully?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 20, 2017 at 3:15 pm

      Yes just double up the recipe to make larger quantities
      K x

      Reply
  9. Lucia says

    March 27, 2018 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night for my non-vegetarian family (doubled the quantities and it worked great) – we all loved it! Thank you x

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 27, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it so much.
      K

      Reply
  10. Carol says

    March 31, 2018 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    Very Nice Karon! I added 1/2 c red wine and 1 tspn cinnamon to the mix (this was a doubled mix). Yum!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      April 4, 2018 at 12:04 pm

      Hi Carol,
      Glad you liked it so much, bet the wine and cinnamon made it even better.
      K x

      Reply
  11. Cleo says

    May 26, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Love this recipe! Was a firm favourite in our house, but I can’t have eggs any more (food intolerance). Any way to omit the egg form the topping? I assume it won’t set without it?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      June 8, 2018 at 6:38 am

      Sorry Cleo but I honestly don’t know of an eegg substitute you could use here.
      K x

      Reply
  12. Joyce says

    February 24, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    I’ve never made moussaka before and I was searching for a quick recipe. It was delicious! So glad I didn’t waste time on a more complicated recipe. Thank you

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 13, 2019 at 11:21 am

      Glad you enjoyed it so much. I make this one quite often as so simple
      K x

      Reply
  13. Tater says

    April 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    I’m going to have to swipe your version of the creamy topping from this recipe to go over a meat based moussaka. I was looking for something that would let me use just a single thin layer of sliced potatoes rather than a thick layer of mashed, and your version seems much more diet conscious than a bechamel sauce!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      April 12, 2019 at 9:10 am

      Try it, I use this topping on my meat moussaka as well, much lighter and tasty too.
      K x

      Reply
  14. Joanie says

    May 11, 2020 at 11:59 am

    5 stars
    Hi this sounds amazing. we call aubergine eggplant. I actually had to Google the word because I was thinking that’s exactly what it looked like. Lol

    it’s just me and my husband now and I’m trying very hard to learn how to cook for two. Being Sicilian it’s virtually impossible to do. Anyway my question how would I make just enough for 2 people? I have a small/medium eggplant i was going to make baba ganoush  with but I’d love to try this for Meatless Monday.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 11, 2020 at 5:43 pm

      Hi Joanie
      Sorry for delay in replying. Moving my web site hosting company so couldn’t get into it. Just half the ingredients to make a smaller ammount. I do this a lot.
      Hope you enjoy it
      Karon

      Reply
  15. Aileen Watson says

    May 13, 2020 at 7:37 am

    I made this for four adults this evening and it was voted delicious. My son in law had three helpings! We all loved the lighter , delicious topping .

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 13, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Aileen
      So glad it was such a success
      K

      Reply
  16. Jennie Ayres says

    May 17, 2020 at 6:48 am

    5 stars
    An excellent vegetarian dish. So tasty, will definitely be making this again soon.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 17, 2020 at 9:33 am

      Hi Jennie
      Thanks so much. I’m glad you liked it so much.
      Karon

      Reply
  17. @athomerestaurant (Instagram) says

    January 7, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    Really great recipe ! Always use this or a variation when making moussaka 🙂

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 8, 2021 at 9:55 am

      Hi Heather
      Thanks SO much for this lovely comment. I’m thrilled that you like my recipe so much and are using it in your home restaurant.
      K

      Reply
  18. Diane Jenkins says

    March 11, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    5 stars
    Clear easy recipe to follow, delicious flavours, makes such a nice change from mince substitute! Thanks

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 12, 2021 at 8:37 am

      Hi Dianne
      Thanks so much, glad you liked the veggie moussaka so much.
      K

      Reply
  19. Elle says

    May 13, 2021 at 10:52 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was utterly delicious! I especially loved the yoghurt topping, gives that lovely creamy element without being too rich. Thanks for sharing, I just discovered your site when searching for a vegetarian moussaka recipe and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 14, 2021 at 10:20 am

      Hi Elle
      so thrilled that you like my recipe so much. Great to hear from a new reader, here is a link to all my vegetarian recipes https://larderlove.com/category/vegetarian-recipes/
      K

      Reply
  20. Don says

    March 26, 2022 at 4:56 am

    Would you please add me to your regular recipe mail out list
    Thank you
    Don

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 29, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Don,
      Just click on the subscribe to mailing list popup or on the sidebar and you can join my mailing list.
      K

      Reply
  21. Frizola says

    July 4, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    Hi. Thank you for sharing… Going to try this but have a few of questions
    What size tray did you use for the pictured moussaka, looks like more than 1 aubergine on the top layer so I am assuming this is a larger version. X2 or x3?
    How do you fry 1 whole aubergine with just 1Tablesppon of oil? I find the aubergine just sucks up all the oil.

    Reply
  22. Karon Grieve says

    July 6, 2021 at 10:06 am

    Hi Frizola
    The photo shows the exact moussaka I made for this recipe, so your assumption that this is a larger version is wrong. the ingredients are correct for the moussaka in the photo, yes that is only one aubergine. Yes I only use 1 tablespoon of oil. As I say in the recipe card this makes 2 large helpings to serve Greek style with just a salad on the side. The actual dish measures 29 x 19 x 6cm. Hope you enjoy the recipe if you decide to try it.
    K

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Shopping List | Keeping Willow says:
    January 10, 2016 at 7:21 pm

    […] VEGETARIAN MOUSAKKA  Larder Love […]

    Reply
  2. Vegetarian Greek Moussaka (with Chickpeas, Lentils, and Mushrooms) | Of Goats and Greens says:
    June 30, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    […] But for now, I plan to follow the following recipe, where the author incorporates mushrooms, lentils and chickpeas into the dish, and uses Greek yogurt instead of a béchamel sauce:   https://larderlove.com/easy-vegetarian-moussaka/ […]

    Reply

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