Vegetable Moussaka
By Stephanie PixleyPublished on October 16, 2019
Time
3 hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
4 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 1 onion, chopped fine4 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup dry white wine 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces2 cups vegetable broth 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed3 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups whole milk 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)Pinch ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Before You Begin
When buying eggplant, look for those that are glossy, feel firm, and are heavy for their size. Do not substitute low-fat or skim milk in the sauce. You can swap fine-grind bulgur for the medium-grind in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Toss eggplant with 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and spread evenly over prepared sheets. Bake until eggplant is light golden brown and tender, 40 to 50 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through roasting. Set eggplant aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, until nearly all liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and broth and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until potatoes are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cook, uncovered, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in bulgur and let sit until grains are tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and top evenly with roasted eggplant to form compact layer.
- Melt butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, bring to simmer, and cook, whisking often, until sauce thickens and no longer tastes of flour, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in Parmesan and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over eggplant and smooth into even layer.
- Cover with foil and bake until bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until top is light golden brown around edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Time
3 hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
4 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup dry white wine
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Ingredients
4 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup dry white wine
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Ingredients
4 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup dry white wine
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional recipes for this Greek dish combine ground lamb with cinnamon, nutmeg, and tomatoes and then top that with eggplant and a thick béchamel sauce. For our vegetarian interpretation, we used bulgur and potatoes to create a hearty foundation. Blooming the cinnamon with sautéed onion and garlic built great flavor, and simmering the potatoes before baking ensured they would come out tender. Bulgur requires just a soak to tenderize, so we simply stirred it into the potato-tomato mixture and let it sit off the heat until it had absorbed all the excess liquid (and flavor). As for our layer of eggplant, we simply stuck it in the oven to roast while we created our potato-bulgur base. Finally, we made a thick, rich béchamel to spread over the top and then baked the dish until it was hot and bubbling.
Before You Begin
When buying eggplant, look for those that are glossy, feel firm, and are heavy for their size. Do not substitute low-fat or skim milk in the sauce. You can swap fine-grind bulgur for the medium-grind in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Toss eggplant with 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and spread evenly over prepared sheets. Bake until eggplant is light golden brown and tender, 40 to 50 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through roasting. Set eggplant aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, until nearly all liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and broth and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until potatoes are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cook, uncovered, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in bulgur and let sit until grains are tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and top evenly with roasted eggplant to form compact layer.
- Melt butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, bring to simmer, and cook, whisking often, until sauce thickens and no longer tastes of flour, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in Parmesan and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over eggplant and smooth into even layer.
- Cover with foil and bake until bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until top is light golden brown around edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments