Easy Vegan Moussaka - Full of Plants

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Crumble the tofu. Pat the tofu dry using kitchen paper towels and press to remove the moisture. Using your hands, crumble the tofu into 1/2-inch crumbles and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Season it. Add the soy sauce, oil, maple syrup, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and dark soy sauce if using (it's only used to give the tofu a darker color). Toss to coat the tofu with the seasonings.
Transfer to a baking sheet. Spread the tofu into an even layer on the baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking. The tofu should be golden brown and slightly crispy on the edges. Set aside.

Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or pot. Once hot, add the minced shallots, garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and tofu. Next, add the diced tomatoes, baked tofu, salt, thyme, cinnamon, and ground black pepper.
Let it simmer. Bring to a boil and let simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened. At this point, you can taste and adjust the saltiness to your liking. Set the tomato filling aside.

Slice the eggplants. Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch (1.2cm) thick slices.
Sauté until golden brown. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Once hot, arrange a few slices of eggplants in an even layer. Make sure they are not overlapping. Sauté on both sides for 2-3 minutes or until the eggplants are golden brown.
Drain the excess oil. Transfer the eggplant slices to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove the excess oil.
Repeat. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices, adding more oil as needed. Be aware that this is the most time-consuming step of this recipe.

Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan. Add the unsweetened almond milk, potato starch, nutritional yeast, vegan butter, white miso, salt, and nutmeg to a saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the potato starch.
Cook until thickened. Next, bring the bechamel to a simmer, whisking constantly until it thickens. This will take 5-7 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F °F (175°C).
Arrange a layer of eggplants. Place half of the eggplant slices in a 9×7-inch (23x18cm) oven-safe baking dish. It’s okay if some eggplants overlap.
Top with the tomato filling. Transfer the tomato tofu filling on top of the eggplant slices and spread it into an even layer.
Arrange another layer of eggplants. Place the remaining eggplant slices on top of the tomato filling.
Top with the bechamel. Finally, pour the bechamel on top of the eggplants and spread it into an even layer.
Bake. Bake the moussaka uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil the top for 1-3 minutes or until golden brown. I recommend letting the moussaka rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
This moussaka will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Let the moussaka rest. Moussaka is one of those dishes that benefits from resting a day or two before being enjoyed. Not only does it taste much better as flavors get time to merge, but it is also a bit less juicy as the tofu absorbs some of the liquid. If you have time, I highly recommend making it one day ahead and reheating it just before serving.
Thicken the filling. The longer you simmer the tofu tomato filling, the thicker it will become. I usually let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until it is thick but still creamy. However, if you prefer a thicker filling, let it simmer longer.
Use smoked tofu. If you want to save time and skip the baked tofu step, you can simply use smoked tofu. While it’s not available everywhere, it’s often fairly easy to find in organic supermarkets.

Nutrition

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : Greek, Mediterranean

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