The Ultimate Vegan Moussaka

• INSTRUCTIONS

For the tomato sauce:

• Place a large sauce pot over medium heat.
• Add the olive oil, the diced onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, salt & pepper.
• Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes.
• If the sauce is too acidic, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda, which will neutralize the acid in the tomatoes.
• Add the pea crumbles and stir to blend.

For the vegetables:

• Preheat the oven to 375℉
• Brush the sliced eggplants and potatoes with olive oil, and arrange in a single layer, them on a couple of baking sheets.
• Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes until the eggplants are soft and the potatoes are crisp.

For the Bechamel sauce:

• In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the vegan butter.
• Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth.
• While whisking, pour in the plant-based milk.
• Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens about 10 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast, freshly ground nutmeg, and salt.

To assemble the moussaka:

• Layer all of the potatoes, overlapping them slightly, so they cover the bottom of your 13 x 9 casserole dish.
• Pour half of the tomato sauce over the potato layer.
• Arrange the eggplants in a layer to cover the sauce.
• Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant layer.
• Pour the Bechamel over the tomato sauce smoothing out the top.
• If you want a crunchy top, you can sprinkle the top with some vegan parmesan.
• Bake at 375℉, for about 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.