“Moussaka” Stuffed Aubergines

I love moussaka but it takes quite a while to make. Therefore I wanted to get the flavours of it, but in a quick version. So instead of going for the full layered dish, this version uses the “mince” based sauce to fill the baked aubergines, with the creamy bechamel style sauce on top. It still takes a little time but you can make a large portion of the mince and freeze part of that to use on a later occasion. The amounts below serve two.

Ingredients

• Two aubergines
• 250g vegan mince (I use meatless farm)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g total)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 150ml water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegan spread / butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 200ml milk
• 2tbsp nutritional yeast

Method

• Start by preparing the mince sauce. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan and gently fry the vegan mince until it’s beginning to brown
• Then add the onion and fry for a further few minutes
• Add the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and the garlic and oregano. Fry for a further two minutes
• Add the chopped tomatoes and the water and the salt and mix everything well and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Then cut your aubergines in half lengthways so you end up with four “boat like” pieces. Score each piece diagonally a few times on the cut side.

Scoring example

• Drizzle with olive oil and place them in a baking tray, cut side up and bake for about 30 minutes until they are softened and slightly browned.
• Once softened, remove from the oven and scoop out the insides. Add these to the mince pot.
• Then spoon the mince mixture into the aubergine cases.
• Whilst the sauce is simmering and aubergines are baking, make the bechamel sauce by gently melting the butter in another pan.
• Add in the flour and mix well until it forms a thick paste. Cook for a couple of minutes
• Then very slowly, add the milk, mixing all the time to avoid lumps. It’s best to add a little and then mix so you gradually thin the paste that you’ve made
• Once you’ve added all the milk, add the nutritional yeast and a pinch of salt
• Then cook for a further few minutes until it’s thickened slightly and then spoon over the mince filled aubergines. I keep it quite thick so it doesn’t run off.
• Return these to the oven for about 20 minutes to bake.