Vegetarian Moussaka with Mushrooms Sauce Recipe

Step 1: To begin making the Eggplant Moussaka with Mushroom Sauce, we will first prepare the eggplants

Step 2: First cut the eggplants into 1/2 inch thick slices

Step 3: Sprinkle some salt and keep it aside in a colander for about an hour

Step 4: After an hour, dry the eggplants using a kitchen towel

Step 5: The next step is to cook the eggplants

Step 6: Preheat a skillet on medium heat, grease the pan with oil and place the sliced eggplants in the oil and cook them until browned and soft on both sides

Step 7: Once cooked, place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil

Step 8: Cooking the eggplants on the skillet, gives it a soft texture as opposed to baking them in the oven

Step 9: If you plan to bake your eggplants, make sure you cover them with an aluminum foil so it does not dry out

Step 10: Preheat the oven to 180 C

Step 11: Grease a baking dish with oil and keep aside

Step 12: In the next steps we will make the mushroom sauce and the bechamel sauce, the two most important sauces for the moussakaTo make the mushrooms sauce, heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat

Step 13: Add the chopped garlic and mushrooms and stir fry them until the mushrooms begin to release the water

Step 14: Add the homemade tomato puree, the salt, cumin and black pepper

Step 15: Give the mushrooms sauce a brisk boil until the mixture thickens

Step 16: Once you have a thick sauce, turn off the heat and keep aside

Step 17: Stir in the chopped coriander leaves

Step 18: For the bechamel sauce, add all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook the sauce until it thickens

Step 19: Once the sauce is thick, turn off the heat and keep the sauce aside

Step 20: Our final step to make the moussaka is to assemble the dish and bake it in the oven

Step 21: In a greased baking dish, sprinkle some breadcrumbs, this will help absorb the extra juices that come out when baking the moussaka

Step 22: Place a layer of cooked eggplants at the bottom, pour some mushroom sauce over this later

Step 23: Next layer it with eggplants again and pour the bechamel sauce over

Step 24: Finally sprinkle it with cheese on the top

Step 25: Bake the moussaka in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown

Step 26: Once done, remove from the oven and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before you serve

Step 27: Serve the Eggplant Moussaka with a Crusty Garlic Bread and a salad by the side