Vegetarian eggplant and chard moussaka

Eggplant and chard are a winning combination, and this is a seriously good vegetarian moussaka. It starts with a layer of roasted potatoes at the base, covered with tender eggplant and a chard & tomato sauce. The dish is topped with a fresh ricotta béchamel and cheese.  Even my toddler ate his vegetables when I served this for dinner. 

Traditional Greek moussaka contains potatoes and eggplant, usually fried, along with a meaty tomato sauce, and topped with a thick béchamel and a hard Greek cheese, such as kefalotyri.  This version is a bit lighter. The potatoes and eggplant are baked, and the chard and ricotta give a fresh touch.

Although moussaka takes some time to put together (definitely worth it!), the steps can be summed up quite simply:

1. Roast the potatoes and eggplant.
2. Prepare the chard-tomato sauce.
3. Prepare the béchamel.
4. Assemble and bake.

The béchamel: In Greek moussaka, the béchamel needs to be thick enough so that it won’t run through into the other layers of the dish. In order to achieve a thicker consistency, you add an egg yolk after cooking the bechamel to help it set in the oven.  The ricotta in this recipe also helps thicken the béchamel, along with pairing deliciously with the vegetables.

How did French béchamel end up in Greek moussaka? The Greek version of moussaka was created in the 1920s by a Greek chef who received his culinary training in France. Voilà! 

More ricotta béchamel? If the béchamel topping is your favorite part of moussaka, you could increase the proportion of béchamel. I prefer to let the vegetables take center stage in this dish, so the béchamel layer isn’t as thick as some recipes. This ricotta béchamel is absolutely delicious enough to add extra, though.

What cheese can I use? If you can find kefalotyri, that’s a great choice. Otherwise, Parmesan and the like are good choices.  Here, I mix pizza mozzarella with Parmesan, and it becomes a nice golden brown in the oven.

Tip for chopping chard: The leaves can be rather voluminous to chop. I find it faster if I roll or bunch up several leaves before chopping to neatly cut more at once. The chopped leaves then go in a big bowl until I’m ready to cook them.

Can I make this vegetarian moussaka ahead of time? Yes! This is a great make-ahead dish. You can assemble the day before, then bake for 1 hour at 180 °C (350 °F) before serving.  You could also bake the assembled moussaka the day before, then reheat 30 minutes at 180 °C.  This moussaka also keeps well in the freezer for 3 months.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vegetarian eggplant and chard moussaka

Eggplant, chard, & ricotta béchamel freshen up this delicious version of Greek moussaka

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: make-ahead, moussaka, vegetarian

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 5 eggplants about 1.6 kg / 3.5 lb
• 600 g potatoes sliced ¼ inch (½ cm) thick
• 3 tbsp oil

Tomato sauce

• 2 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• Chard leaves from 1 bunch 300 g of leaves, stems removed
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• Black pepper
• 120 ml dry white wine (½ cup)
• 400 g canned diced tomatoes unsalted
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stick of cinnamon about 3 cm or ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• 30 g ricotta

Ricotta béchamel sauce

• 30 g butter (2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 300 ml milk (1 ¼ cup)
• 220 g ricotta
• ¼ tsp salt
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 egg yolk

Cheese

• 100 g shredded pizza mozzarella (low-moisture part-skim, not fresh)
• 30 g grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Prepare the eggplant and potatoes. Slice the eggplant into 1 cm (½-inch) thick rounds. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let stand 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant is waiting, wash and chop the chard, onion and potatoes. Preheat oven to 200 °C (390 °F), convection mode.
• Blot the eggplant dry. Brush both sides of the eggplant and potatoes with 3 tbsp oil. Sprinkle some salt on the potatoes. Place the eggplant and potato rounds on two large baking sheets and bake 25 minutes. Continue preparing the sauces (steps 4 & 5) while the eggplant and potato bake.
• Prepare the chard-tomato sauce. In a large pot over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chard leaves and ½ tsp salt. Cook uncovered until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the ½ cup wine, stir, and let cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, pepper, and ¾ tsp salt (if your canned tomatoes contain salt, reduce salt to taste). Cook uncovered about 10 minutes or until thick. Stir in 30 g ricotta. Set aside.
• Prepare the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour. Let cook about 1 minute, whisking frequently. Slowly add in the milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil for about 30 seconds to thicken, then off heat. Whisk in remaining ricotta, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Whisk in the egg yolk, being sure to whisk it in immediately after adding.
• Keep the oven heated to 180 °C (350 °F).
• Assemble. Butter a large (9×13 inch) baking dish. Place the potatoes in a single layer, then layer on half the eggplant. Next add all of the chard-tomato sauce, then the rest of the eggplant. Top with the ricotta béchamel sauce. Smooth out the sauce with a spoon. Finally sprinkle with the grated cheeses.
• Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving, and enjoy!