Meatless Mondays: Vegetarian Moussaka

Yup. You heard it right. Vegetarian Moussaka for Meatless Mondays.

I know what you are thinking: how dare she mess with that wonderful Greek casserole made with ground lamb and eggplant.

This dish really has nothing to do with Greece, except for the eggplant in the recipe, and the lentils look like the ground lamb.
It's just an illusion!

I was inspired by Silvie from Citron & Vanille, and in my efforts to make more meatless meals during the week, I decided to give this a try.



Now, I don't really expect you to make this, but if you happen to HAVE leftover roasted vegetables of any kind, and a bag of ready cooked Beluga Black Lentils from Trader Joe's in the house, then I would highly recommend you try this healthy, satisfying dish. And you won't feel guilty eating 2 pieces!

The meaty black lentils (don't use the French green lentils) substitute the meat in this dish, and I used lowfat cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese. After all, this is not an Italian dish, and I can do what I want, it's my kitchen.



Vegetarian Mock Moussaka: (there are no rules in this recipe, change it up however you like!)

This dish is all about the layering.

Spoon some ready made tomato sauce at the bottom of a gratin dish.

Next, lay grilled eggplant slices (I just happen to have them in the fridge), and then a layer of your roasted vegetables.



I used red pepper, eggplant, zucchini and red onions.
(To roast vegetables, slice or cube vegetable of your choice and sprinkle liberally w/ kosher salt and olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet at 400F for about 20 minutes until done).

Mix about 2 cups of cottage cheese with 1 egg and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan, salt & pepper.
Layer the cheese mixture on top of the vegetables.

Next layer the cooked black Beluga lentils on top. You can tell the carnivores that this is the meat.



Top with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 375F oven for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let rest a few minutes before serving.

This was a healthy, delicious and creative dinner. The lentils have 17 grams of fiber! and 30 grams of iron. Great for lowering cholesterol.

Served with a salad, we loved this!
Even the husband went for a second piece!