Vegetarian Moussaka
Serves 6
2 x 420g small tins soya beans
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced
2 aubergines, thinly sliced
1 large carrot scraped and sliced
100g mushrooms, sliced
300ml water
1 tin chopped tomato and garlic
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray
Sauce
25g soya flour or stone ground wholemeal flour300ml skim milk
60g 3% fat cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten (omega-rich)
½ tsp made mustard
- Using fat-free oil spray fry onions till browned.
- Add the celery, carrot and fry gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, puree, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
- Drain the beans and add together with a bay leaf and up to 300ml water, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed to give a moist texture.
- Remove and discard bay leaf.
- Meanwhile in a separate flat saucepan, fry the aubergine slices with fat-free oil spray or olive oil until soft and brown.
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- To make the white sauce, dissolve the flour in a small amount of the milk to make a smooth runny paste. Mix this paste into the rest of the milk in a small saucepan. Stir continuously at medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add in the beaten egg and continue to stir.
- Now, place half the bean mixture on the bottom of a greased (with fat-free oil spray) ovenproof dish.
- Cover with a thin but continuous layer of aubergines (use half of them).
- Spread the remaining bean mixture over the layer of aubergines.
- Cover with the other half of the aubergines.
- To finish the moussaka off, top with the prepared white sauce.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of this.
- Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven until the top is browned.
Tips
- Serve each helping garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
- If you would like a low fat, mince substituted moussaka, use a packet of quorn mince in place of the beans.
