Creamy Aubergine, Potato and Tempeh Bake
This immensely hearty and satisfying take on a moussaka is one to please a crowd. It is not traditional in any sense. Beyond using tempeh instead of ...the traditional lamb, we have baked our potatoes and aubergines to cut back on oil and added some sautéed spinach into the béchamel for extra colour. This recipe is time-consuming but method wise, pretty simple. Plus, it more than makes up for it because it is so easy to prep ahead of time. You can make this up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Allow to sit out of the fridge for an hour before baking to lose its fridge chill. Read more This immensely hearty and satisfying take on a moussaka is one to please a crowd. It is not traditional in any sense. Beyond using tempeh instead of the traditional lamb, we have baked our potatoes and aubergines to cut back on oil and added some sautéed spinach into the béchamel for extra colour. This recipe is time-consuming but method wise, pretty simple. Plus, it more than makes up for it because it is so easy to prep ahead of time. You can make this up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Allow to sit out of the fridge for an hour before baking to lose its fridge chill.
points
protein
fibre
points
protein
fibre
TRY MORE RECIPES using crumbled tempeh
NUTRITION PER SERVING (Read more)
Notes
To freeze, assemble up to step 10 and allow to cool before placing, covered, in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, let sit out on the counter for 30-45 minutes to lose fridge chill before baking as usual. (You may need to add several minutes to the cooking time).
Alternatives:
tomato passata - tin of tomatoes, blended
oat milk - any plant-based or dairy milk
nutritional yeast - finely grated parmesan cheese
points
protein
fibre
Ingredients
Method
Gather and prepare your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan.
Drizzle the aubergine with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay out onto a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, until tender and golden brown. It's okay if they overlap slightly - they will shrink as they cook.
Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay out onto a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, until tender.
Place a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the tempeh with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden brown.
Add the onion, carrot and celery with another light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until softened and translucent.
Add the garlic, tomato puree, cinnamon, oregano and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes until darkened, fragrant and sticky.
Add the tomato passata. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, until darkened and reduced. Add the balsamic and salt and pepper to taste.
To make the bechamel, place the oat milk into a saucepan with the onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg. Heat until it reaches the shiver stage (just beginning to simmer but not bubbling). Strain into a jug and set aside.
Place the saucepan back over the heat and add the olive oil and flour. Whisk for 2-3 minutes until you have a thick paste. Then slowly stream in the milk, about a quarter at a time, whisking constantly until you have a smooth, thickened sauce. Turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Stir through the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until wilted.
Get a baking dish 28x22x5cm. Layer half of the tempeh sauce, followed by the potatoes, aubergines and green bechamel. Repeat, using the remaining half of each component.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.
Notes
To freeze, assemble up to step 10 and allow to cool before placing, covered, in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, let sit out on the counter for 30-45 minutes to lose fridge chill before baking as usual. (You may need to add several minutes to the cooking time).
Alternatives:
tomato passata - tin of tomatoes, blended
oat milk - any plant-based or dairy milk
nutritional yeast - finely grated parmesan cheese
User comments (19)
Easy & quick to make, very filling, don’t feel guilty about using a packet of pre-cooked rice!
Absolutely mouth watering. My husband adores it too. Full of flavour and nutrition.
The whole family love this dish, even my 11 year old son who thinks he hates tempeh!
A worthwhile labour of love
All the family loved it, will definitely be making it again
This is a 10! Incredibly delicious!!! I used smoked tofu (tempeh is ridiculously expensive in Germany) which worked very well.
Lovely recipe! Really tasty !
Very delicious receipt, but cooking time at all takes much longer.
More time for cooking the carrots as they were crunchy even cut in small pieces. However lovely dish ! Full of flavors
Loved it! Lot of preparation but worth it. Used 2 portions and 4 portions went in the freezer.
This is one of my favourite recipes but it takes more like 2 hours total (1.5 hours active cooking), even though I'm an experienced cook. I've tried this with sweet potato 🥔 😋 and strangely it works, even better lol. I also put seeds on top.
Tasted fabulous
Enjoyed by all
Time consuming to make
Loved this dish! Grating the tempeh is genius, I know that other DK recipes with tempeh use this technique- it works really well in this dish. Thank you and keep ‘em coming :))
Super tasty but didn’t feel there was enough béchamel in the recipe compared to the insta reel.
I thought this was very nice.
Absolutely to die for. That béchamel sauce is absolutely delicious!!!
Easy to follow recipe. Never heard of tempeh but will be on my list for regular use. Delicious dish.
Absolutely loved this comforting, filling recipe! Perfect for a cold winter's day! At first my sauce tasted a bit bitter so I added a little sugar - think it was probably due to the quality of the passata. Next time I'll buy a more expensive variety! Anyway thank you for another great recipe.
Enjoyed it very much thankyou