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Plant-Based Low FODMAP Moussaka
This is quite an involved recipe with lots of steps and ingredients, but don't let that put you off. It's well worth the effort! Leftovers reheat well the following day, but I would not recommend freezing this as the vegetables will go soggy.It's quite a rich dish, so keep the portion size as suggested.Enjoy!See the notes section for the adaptations to make this dish low FODMAP.
Ingredients
For the veg layer
- 2 aubergines (eggplants)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large floury potatoes (I used russets)
For the mushroom sauce
- 1/2 large onion (see notes for Low FODMAP adaptation)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 250 g mushrooms (see notes for Low FODMAP adaptation)
- 2 cloves garlic (see notes for Low FODMAP adaptation)
- 1 400g can of tinned tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
For the béchamel
- 30 g butter of choice
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 400 ml milk of choice (see notes for Low FODMAP adaptation)
- 100 g cheese of choice, grated and divided in two (see notes for Low FODMAP adaptation)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the layers
- Preheat the oven to 175C fan/350F.
- Wash and slice the aubergine into ½ cm rounds, then spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and sprinkle both sides with salt – leave for 20mins to draw out some of the moisture.
- Wash the salt off the aubergine and pat dry with a paper towel, then return to the baking tray, drizzle over olive oil, and toss to coat both sides.
- Bake the aubergine slices for 20mins, and set aside once cooked, but leave the oven on.
- Now make the mushroom sauce by dicing the onion and adding to a saucepan with the olive oil – cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Then add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook for another 3-4minutes until they start to release some water. Next, add the oregano, and garlic (if using).
- Now pour in the tomatoes, season to taste, and cook (covered) for 15mins.
- While the sauce cooks, peel the potatoes and slice into ½ cm rounds.
- Parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes, drain, then set aside.
- Lastly, make the bechamel sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan.
- Once melted, add flour, and stir until a thick paste forms.
- Now slowly add the milk, little by little, and whisk continuously until heated and thickened.
- Add half the cheese and some salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the moussaka
- In a 9x13” glass dish, spread half the mushroom sauce on the bottom.
- Then follow with a layer of aubergine and a layer of potato (half of each).
- Now top with half of the bechamel.
- Repeat so you have two layers.
- Sprinkle over remaining cheese.
- Bake for 35-40mins until cheese is golden, turning half-way through cooking time.
- Remove moussaka from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes to firm up, so it doesn’t fall apart when you try to serve it – don’t skip this step!
- Serve with a green salad.
Notes
Make this Low FODMAP: Onions (fructans) - swap for green tips of leek or spring onion/scallion Mushrooms (mannitol) - use canned or oyster mushrooms Garlic (fructans) - omit or use garlic-infused oil instead of olive oil Milk (GOS/lactose) - Low FODMAP options include almond, macadamia, rice, and soy protein milk / for vegetarian you can choose lactose-free milk Cheese (GOS/lactose) - vegan cheese made from vegetable oil is Low FODMAP but cheeses made from nuts should be avoided / for vegetarian - kefalotyri is the traditional cheese used to make moussaka but if you can’t find it, use gruyere
