You know, just your classic stewed meat and eggplant pie doused in béchamel sauce.

But vegetarian.



That’s some ground veggie protein eyeballing you from what could only possibly be explained as some sort of dream state wonder-world on your computer screen. (You may be dreaming. Pinch yourself while jumping off a bridge and if you drown, you’re not a dreaming witch or something reasonably similar, who knows. Witch.)

And healthy(er).

Béchamel sauce without a heavy milk and butter? And good-for-you cheeses? 11g net-carbs? Be still my beating heart! But then begin beating again because I have to be breathing to eat vegetarian moussaka!

So, in other words, Vegetarian Moussaka Stacks = The Perfect Moussaka.

It’s also portable.

If you’re looking for your socks, they were knocked off, put back on your feet, and knocked off several times more until they simply turned to dust. It’s more common than you think when discussing Vegetarian Moussaka Stacks.

On with the yum yums!

Vegetarian Moussaka Stacks

makes 6 stacks

*loosely based off a Food.com recipe

You should really think about locating your socks but not before gathering:

1 eggplant – the more rectangular in shape the better – sliced into 18 1/4″ slices, about 575g worth total

1 teaspoon coconut oil

25g diced shallots

1 clove of garlic, minced

12 oz veggie protein crumbles

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4oz tomato sauce

1 cup (260g) diced canned tomatoes

2 tablespoons grated parmigiano reggiano

1 – 2 oz low fat shredded mozzarella

Béchamel Sauce

makes about 9 oz

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup (28g) soy flour or whatever-you-have flour

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or whatever-you-have-lowfat-milk

2 tablespoons grated parmigiano reggiano

1/2 cup reduced fat feta crumbles, mashed smoother

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Let’s make-a my dreams come true (oo-oo, oo, oo)

Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly salt your eggplant slices and lay them in layers in a colander for 20-30 minutes. Removes and gently pat your eggplants dry. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the eggplant slices down without overlap. Spray lightly with some cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or so.

While your eggplant bakes, combine the veggie protein crumbles with the flaxseed, oregano and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat up the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry the shallots and garlic for a few minutes. Add the protein crumbles mix and let brown for a bit. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and cinnamon, and allspice. Now add the vegetable stock and let it all simmer together for awhile. Remove from the heat when you’re satisfied with the flavor.

To make your béchamel sauce, whisk the coconut oil and flour over heat in a saucepan. Slowly add the almond milk and whisk whisk whisk away. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer, whisking the entire time to prevent burning. When the sauce begins to thicken, add the parmigiano reggiano and the feta and whisk even more. So much whisking. Let it thicken a bit more and then remove from the heat. Add the nutmeg. Whisk some more for good measure.

Assembling your stacks: Each stack consists of 3 eggplant slices, roughly 4.5 oz of “meat” mix, and about 1.5 oz béchamel sauce. On a parchment lined baking sheet (or a mini springform pan because why not?), set a slice of eggplant. Top with “meat.” You can either sprinkle mozzarella or some béchamel in between layers. Top with another slice of eggplant. More meat. One more eggplant. Last bit of meat. Finally, top with a generous amount of béchamel (either the whole 1.5 oz or what’s left after dabs in between layers). Sprinkle shredded parmigiano reggiano on the very top. That’s one stack. Repeat 5 more times. Feel like an assembly line.

Bake your stacks at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the tops begin to brown just a bit. Let cool. Feast.