This mouth-watering light summer moussaka from the Southern Balkans created with juicy layers of crispy pan-fried eggplant (aubergine) and a wonderful piquant tomato-based sauce is a great gluten-free and keto-friendly dish that can be served as a main vegetarian meal or even as a side to grilled meats. It’s so delicious, you must try it! You can arrange the dish in interesting shapes to make it look contemporary and impress your dinner guests with it. For the vegan option, use vegan cheese in the recipe.

This recipe is my take on one of the oldest known moussakas in the Balkans – the vegetarian eggplant moussaka.

HISTORY OF THE EGGPLANT / AUBERGINE.

Eggplant, known as aubergine in the UK (Solanum melongena) is a berry by botanic definition. However, in cooking, it is used as a vegetable. The name of the eggplant comes from its egg-like shape.

As a member of the Solanum family, the eggplant (aubergine) is related to the tomato, chilli pepper and potato. Curiously, the tomato, chilli and potato come from the New World (the Americas), but the eggplant (aubergine) is believed to have originated on the other side of the world – in Asia.

Eggplants come in different shades of purple, from lighter to almost black.

Another curious thing about the eggplant is that it has numerous small edible seeds inside. These seeds contain nicotinic alkaloids similar to the ones in tobacco and are bitter. That is why we need to remove the bitterness in the eggplant (aubergine) before cooking it.

Cultivated eggplants(aubergines) grow from 20 to 150 cm in size. Wild eggplants grow even larger. If you have ever been to a local vegetable market in Greece, you probably have seen giant eggplants sold there. Some of the eggplants grown there come in shockingly large sizes.

Although some historians believe that the eggplant (aubergine) plant was introduced first from Asia to Southern Europe by the Moors in the 8th century and much later to the rest of Europe, there are speculations that eggplants may have been grown in the Southern Balkans even earlier than 8th century, in fact, as early as the 5-6 century.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE EGGPLANT/AUBERGINE.

Eggplants are rich in fibre, copper, manganese, B-6 and thiamine. They contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. In addition, eggplants are a good source of phenolic acids which act as antioxidants.

The phenolic compounds in eggplant have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. They can delay the ageing process of the cells in the human body. The eggplant (aubergine) is low in calories and is a fantastic dietary option.

HISTORY OF THE VEGAN EGGPLANT MOUSSAKA.

This recipe is based on a Turkish version of the original Middle Eastern moussaka, introduced by the Ottomans to the Balkan peninsula, and still popular in the South today. The dish has a contemporary twist added to it, as instead of a bechamel topping, it has a grated cheese topping, which is considerably lighter than the traditional topping, and pairs wonderfully with the piquant tomato sauce.

HOW TO MAKE MY EGGPLANT/AUBERGINE MOUSSAKA?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

For the best results, always choose good quality ingredients:

Eggplant/ aubergine: Choose larger eggplants (aubergines) because when sliced, the eggplant pieces will be larger and easier to pan-fry and assemble the dish easier.

Garlic: In the original recipes, the piquant tomato sauce is made with lots of garlic.

Onion: Although onion is not usually used, I like to add one onion for more texture to the sauce.

Tomatoes: If using fresh tomatoes, choose well-ripen and sweet tomatoes for more natural sweetness in the sauce. If your tomatoes are not very sweet, you will have to add sugar to the sauce to kill their acidity. You can also use good quality canned chopped tomatoes.

Cheese: This vegetarian moussaka is deliciously garnished with grated mild yellow cheese or parmesan. For the vegan option, replace the cheddar with vegan cheese or don’t use cheese at all.

Oil: The original recipe calls for vegetable oil, but you can substitute it with cooking olive oil for its health benefits and flavour.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Prepare the eggplant/aubergine for frying

Wash the eggplants well, then cut them with a mandoline or a sharp knife into round uniformed (same thickness) slices, roughly 0.6cm thick.

To remove the bitter juices in the eggplant, arrange the eggplant slices into a single layer on a large tray or a plate and sprinkle salt over them. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them sweat for 15-20 minutes to release their bitter juices.

Rinse the eggplant pieces to remove excess salt and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Recently, I learned a useful tip on how to prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil when fried. By brushing the eggplant slices with egg white, the egg white seals the pores in the eggplant which results in less oil being absorbed.

Step 2: Pan-fry the eggplant/aubergine slices

Heat oil in a broad heavy-based pan and pan-fry the eggplant slices to golden colour. When one side of the eggplant is cooked, use a fork to flip them over and cook on the other side.

Remove the cooked eggplant slices from the pan and place them on paper towels to drain the oil.

Step 3: Make piquant tomato sauce

Use a heavy-based pan to sauté chopped onions for a few minutes. When the onions are soft, add chopped garlic. Saute them for a couple of minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until the sauce is reduced.

Add 1 tablespoon of sugar of your choice. I use brown sugar. Add salt, savoury spice and chopped parsley. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid from the tomatoes evaporates. Make sure the tomatoes cook to a thick sauce, otherwise, they will soak through the eggplant and you won’t have the desired texture in the dish.

Step 4: Assemble the eggplant moussaka

Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on the bottom of a casserole dish and spread part of the tomato sauce into an even layer over the eggplants.

Make as many layers of eggplant and tomato sauce as you can in your oven dish. That will depend on the size of the oven dish and the eggplants. For a medium-sized oven dish, I usually have about 2-3 layers of eggplant. Always finish with a thin layer of tomato sauce on top. 

Sprinkle grated cheese or parmesan over the moussaka. When baked the cheese will melt and create a beautiful topping on the dish. The cheese also will complement the tomato sauce really well.

How to make this dish look contemporary?

Pan-fried eggplant slices keep their shape and make it easy to create different shapes with them. For example, you can assemble the dish in the shape of an eggplant (see photo above).

Step 5: FINISH the EGGPLANT moussaka in the oven

Preheat the oven to 180°F/ 356°F. Place the dish in the middle of the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

🍲 SERVE THIS MEAT-FREE MOUSSAKA

When I made this dish for the first time, my husband asked me what shall we have with it, pasta or rice. Of course, you can serve it with pasta or rice because the dish is saucy, but back home we serve it in combination with other vegetable dishes or as a side to grilled meat. You can have it also as a main meal, just with fresh bread on the side.

Еggplant moussaka always tastes better if you leave it in the fridge overnight. That allows time for the flavours to sink in and become richer.

This dish is best served warm. To reheat it from chilled, place it in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180°F/ 356°F.

Bon Appétit! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳