Lentil Moussaka Recipe

Hearty lentils, roasted eggplant, spinach and a creamy custard topping make this lentil moussaka utterly delicious! This veggie moussaka recipe is perfect for Sunday supper, a special occasion meal or when entertaining friends and family.

Hi friends!

Today I’m sharing a totally comforting lentil moussaka recipe.

Though making this veggie moussaka does take time to prepare, there’s nothing complicated here (much like my meat lasagna or veggie lasagna recipes).

It’s totally a labour of love, but it’s so worth it!

The lentils are flavoured with warming spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of clove, as well as savoury oregano and spicy chili flakes.

Plus, there’s roasted eggplant, spinach and a creamy custard topping with crumbly salty feta. Serve with a side of pesto pasta salad and you have yourself one belly satisfying meal!

Sounds good, right?

What Is Moussaka?

Moussaka is a traditional Greek recipe, typically made with lamb.

I like to describe moussaka as a Greek lasagna.

It’s essentially a big dish of comfort food with multiple layers.

Today, though, I’m sharing a lentil moussaka recipe. It has all the delicious flavours of a traditional moussaka, but it’s made with lentils instead of lamb.

How To Make Lentil Moussaka

Full details on how to make moussaka are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Roast eggplant

1. Cut the ends of your eggplants and discard (I find it’s easier to peel once the ends are cut off). Then peel the eggplants (you don’t have to get every last bit of peel off, some left is okay).
2. Cut into ½-inch rounds.
3. Place onto parchment paper-lined sheet pans, brush with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast, flipping once. When the eggplant is cooked, carefully remove and set aside.

Cook spinach

1. Add baby spinach and ground nutmeg to a pan. You can add a splash of water, if you like, to get things going.
2. Simply wilt the spinach and that’s it.
3. Remove spinach from the pan and place it in a fine-mesh sieve. Push down on the spinach with a spoon to squeeze out excess moisture. We don’t want the spinach too wet because it will water down the moussaka. Note: The spinach isn’t actually going through the sieve (only water).
4. Chop and set aside.

Make the lentil sauce

1. In a pan, cook some onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
2. Add minced mushrooms and cook those down.
3. Stir in tomato paste and seasonings and cook for a just a bit.
4. Add tomatoes, broth and bay leaves and cook until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and remove and discard bay leaves.
5. Add the cooked lentils.
6. Stir in. There ya have it, a flavour-packed sauce ready for moussaka!

Make the custard topping

1. Melt butter in a saucepan.
2. Whisk in flour to form a paste and cook for a few minutes to cook out the flour taste.
3. Slowly add warmed milk (half cup at a time) and cook until thickened before adding more milk (basically, you’re adding the milk in increments and cooking until all the milk has been used). Once done, the mixture should coat the back of a spoon when a finger is drawn through it.
4. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat and let cool for a little bit, stirring occasionally. This is important because you don’t want to scramble your eggs when you add them shortly.
5. Whisk in egg and egg yolks.
6. The custard should be thick, creamy and ready to be used in moussaka.

Layer the lentil moussaka and bake

1. Grease a baking dish and spread a layer of potatoes over the bottom. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
2. Sprinkle over some bread crumbs.
3. Layer half of your roasted eggplant on top.
4. Next layer half of your lentil sauce.
5. Then layer on half of your cooked spinach. Repeat one more time, starting with eggplant.
6. Pour custard topping over top. If some seeps down the side, don’t worry about it.
7. Sprinkle crumbled feta over top.
8. Bake and garnish with some fresh oregano.

Yum! Talk about delicious!

What Type of Lentils Should I Use?

Use dried green lentils.

There’s no need to soak these.

Simply pick over and discard any foreign objects, like rocks, and any imperfect lentils. Then rinse, drain and cook.

Rinse and drain lentils again after they’ve cooked before adding to the tomato sauce.

What To Serve With Moussaka

If you want to add some sides, any of these are delicious with moussaka:

• Greek pasta salad
• Green salad
• Garlic bread
• Olives
• Greek lemon potatoes

Tips and Variations

• The eggplant was cut into rounds and distributed over top. You could cut length-wise into longer pieces if you like. I just find it easier to cut into rounds.
• A small sweet potato was used as the base of this lentil moussaka recipe. You could use a regular potato instead if that’s what you have on hand.
• Don’t have spinach on hand? Try some cooked kale instead.

If you make this lentil moussaka recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!