Best Vegetarian Gluten Free Moussaka with Lentils

This gluten-free lentil moussaka might take a little extra time, but believe me, it’s worth every minute! Packed with protein-rich lentils, hearty chickpeas, and delicious vegetables, it’s a healthy and diabetic-friendly twist on a classic Greek dish.

Moussaka has a long food history, with many different variations. The European version may be the one you are most familiar with, featuring layers of potato, aubergine, and lamb mince finished with creamy béchamel and cheese topping. But for those looking for a more plant-based diet, the classic recipe can feel off-limits and  I thought it was high time there was an equally delicious alternative for the non-meat eaters. 

This gluten free vegetarian moussaka steps in to fill the gap, offering a flavourful and satisfying alternative that doesn’t compromise on the deliciousness of the original. However, it is perhaps not one for a mid-week meal when you’re pushed for time. It may be better suited for when you have a couple of hours to immerse yourself in the kitchen. Which for me is one of life’s little joys, well apart from the washing up that comes with it of course!

Also, don’t be put off by the list of ingredients and instructions for this recipe. Most of the ingredients are pretty standard cupboard or freezer staples and I promise you the extra bit of time and effort are really worth it.

The story behind this Gluten Free Moussaka Recipe

I love Greek food and Greek moussaka, with its layers of juicy ground lamb, tender aubergine, and fluffy potato, all topped with a creamy white sauce, is a dish that holds a special place in my heart. Memories of enjoying a steaming plate of Moussaka in Greek restaurants despite the summer heat, savouring all the wonderful flavours and textures. But a more local discovery – a delicious vegetarian moussaka from Marks & Spencer on a UK trip – sparked a family challenge. The gauntlet was laid to recreate a WHK vegetarian & gluten-free moussaka that rivals the original. And let me tell you, with a little perseverance I am pretty sure I have done the traditional moussaka justice.

This recipe created with diabetes management in mind boasts plenty of plant-powered goodness with protein-rich lentils and chickpeas to replace the meat, while aubergine and potato add those essential vitamins and fibre. It truly embodies the WHK philosophy of eating for your health, offering a complete and satisfying meal in one dish. We love it with a simple side of greens, but roasted cabbage wedges would be another fantastic accompaniment.

The Key to Gluten-Free and Diabetic-Friendly Moussaka

The simple heroes in this recipe are the layers of potato and, aubergine combined with the delicious lentil and chickpea stew. These simple ingredients are packed full of fibre, nutrients and minerals making this a wonderfully healthy and hearty dish. I spent ages tweaking this recipe to get it just right and there were definitely a few attempts where the béchamel sauce was not great, or the lentil filling just didn’t have enough flavour. But after lots of trial and error (and a lot of helpful feedback), I’ve finally nailed it.

This recipe is all about using whole foods to create a delicious and satisfying meal that won’t send your blood sugar levels soaring. Three key things make this healthy moussaka recipe perfect for those managing blood sugar:

• Lentils & Chickpeas: Lentils & Chickpeas are packed with protein and fibre, which helps regulate digestion and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Plus, swapping the traditional meat sauce for a lentil base means you’re cutting down on saturated fat. This helps you feel satisfied without the blood sugar spike.
• Gluten-Free Bechamel: My trusty gluten-free béchamel sauce uses corn flour to create that same creamy texture, without the gluten. You can find the recipe for this sauce [insert link to your gluten-free bechamel sauce recipe here]
• Fresh Veggies: This recipe is packed with colourful vegetables like aubergines, tomatoes, red pepper and potatoes, adding essential vitamins and minerals without going overboard on the carbs.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Moussaka with Lentils

Large Aubergines 

• A key ingredient for any moussaka

• Are nutrient-dense which means that they contain a good amount of vitamins, minerals and fibre

Potatoes

• good source of many vitamins and minerals
• The other key ingredient to a delicious moussaka

Red and Green lentils

• Great source of protein, fibre and B vitamins
• Also helps to thicken the sauce

Extra Virgin Olive oil

• One of my favourites 
• Rich in healthy monounsaturated fats

Large onion

• Bring an essential flavour and gentle sweetness
• Frozen chopped onions work brilliantly as well

Carrots

• A particularly good source of beta carotene, fibre, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants
• Adds some texture to the stew

Red pepper (jarred or fresh)

• Adds a lovely sweetness to the tomato-based sauce plus a good hit of vitamin C

Garlic Cloves 

• Use fresh or frozen
• You may want to increase the amount used depending on how garlicky you like your dishes

Tomato paste

• Adds an extra intense tomatoey kick into the stew

Tinned chopped tomatoes

• When heated they release more antioxidants.
• They are a brilliant source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits
• Also a great source of vitamin C and K

Tinned Chickpeas

• A nutritional superstar rich in plant-based protein, full of fibre and nutrients
• Give a nutty taste and a nice grainy texture to the dish

Ground Cinnamon & Paprika

• They add a subtle spice to this dish and flavours that characterise a traditional Greek Moussaka recipe 

Parsley and Dried Oregano

• Staple herbs that I always keep either frozen or dried
• Both are perfect flavour additions to this moussaka

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Handful of grated vegetarian hard cheese (optional)

For the Gluten Free Bechamel Sauce

Butter

• I prefer to use unsalted

Corn flour

• A fine textured gluten free flour with a moderate glycemic index

Milk of choice

• I use whole milk 

Salt & Black pepper

Ground Nutmeg

Find the full recipe for the bechamel sauce and more here

How to make Vegetarian gluten free Moussaka

This veggie moussaka recipe makes a great big dish, perfect for feeding a family or having leftovers for lunch the next day. It is a little time consuming so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to prepare the dish.

The first part of making this meal is to prepare your 4 main elements separately – The aubergines, potato, lentil stew and white sauce.

1. The lentil Stew

Start by preparing the stew. In a large saucepan gently fry the onion, pepper, carrot and garlic on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until beautifully soft. Stir occasionally.

Then add the tomato puree, spices and herbs. Mix well and heat for a further 2 minutes. Now add the lentils, tinned tomatoes, and chickpeas, including the water, and mix well.  Add a further 1/2 can of water, then season well with salt and black pepper, Stir to combine.

Leave the stew to simmer away gently, stirring occasionally so the lentils don’t stick for around 20-25 minutes. You may want to add a little more water if needed, but don’t make it too wet as the stew should be lovely and thick.

While your stew is thickening you can prepare the vegetable layers

2. The Aubergine Layer

lay the aubergine slices on baking trays, with a little olive oil and season well. Roast in a preheated oven 200C/180C Fan for 10 minutes. Remove the aubergine from the oven, turn them over and roast them for a further 10 minutes. Once roasted leave them to one side.

3. The Potato Layer

Place the potato slices into a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and leave them to steam in colander.

4. The Gluten-Free Bechamel

Lastly, you need to make the white sauce.

Melt the butter over low heat in your saucepan. Whisk in the corn flour into the melted butter until you have a smooth paste.

Gradually whisk in the milk, Start with a little at a time, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. This prevents lumps from forming. When you have added around 200ml of the milk, Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Keep whisking while the milk heats through and the sauce begins to thicken.

Whisk constantly and continue to slowly add the rest of the milk until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper & nutmeg and leave to one side.

Assembly

Now you are ready to assemble the Moussaka

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C and in an ovenproof dish, measuring 9inchx9inch / 24cmx24cm add half of your lentil stew.

Next, add a layer of potatoes and then a layer of aubergine. Repeat this, by adding the remainder of your stew, another potato layer and then the final aubergine layer.

Finally, Pour the gluten-free béchamel sauce evenly over the top of the moussaka. If you’re using parmesan, or another grated cheese sprinkle a little over the top.

Cooking

Cook your assembled Moussaka in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. It should be bubbling with a beautiful golden brown top.

Serve and enjoy!  Let the moussaka cool slightly before serving. This dish goes perfectly with a simple green salad drizzled with a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Serving Suggestions

Moussaka is a hearty main dish, which has a really good balance of protein, carbs, and veg. So you may prefer to eat yours as it comes. However, if like us you like a bit extra on the side then here are a few ideas:

• A simple mixed-leaf salad
• A simple but wonderfully tasty HERBY GREEN BEAN SALAD
• Lemon Roasted Potatoes – just combine some lemon juice and olive oil and coat the potatoes before roasting…..amazing!
• Tray of mixed ROASTED GREEN VEGETABLES (you may just want to leave out the pesto)
• A serveing of ZESTY PAN FRIED COURGETTES
• Wilted spinach with lemon and garlic.

Looking for more healthy Greek Recipes:

GREEK ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES

MARINATED HALLOUMI – 2 GREEK-STYLE RECIPES

ROASTED PEPPERS SALAD WITH AUBERGINE

VEGETARIAN AUBERGINE FETA CHEESE AND TOMATO BAKE

Diabetes Note

I know a meal like this where the carbs are part of the dish can be tricky to count, but don’t let that put you off. All you have to do is know the weight of your serving dish, the total weight of the moussaka, the overall carb count and the weight per portion. Then you can use this formula:

Carb Counting

An example of how to carb count for a serving of this vegetarian gluten free moussaka based on the ingredients we would count is:

• 750g of Cooked Potatoes = 131.3g of carbs
• 500g of Gluten Free Bechamel Sauce = 74g of carbs

Now add all the carbs together – 131.3 + 74 = 205.3g Total Countable Carbs

• To find the Total Weight, subtract the dish weight from the total weight: 4880 – 1500 = 3380 grams
• A portion of the moussaka is: 560g grams

Using the formula above  205 (total carbs) / 3380 (total weight) x 560 (portions weight) = 34 grams of carbs

Please note this carb count amount per portion is fictional and based on the standard ingredients listed above and may differ depending on what you use and how much you choose to eat.

If you enjoyed this article then leave a star rating and comment below. I would love to hear from you!

Don’t forget you can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Click below to connect with me

Vegetarian GLUTEN FREE Moussaka

Recipe by Michelle

Healthy Vegetarian Gluten Free Moussaka! Diabetic-friendly lentils replace meat for a delicious twist on the classic!

Course: MainCuisine: British GreekDifficulty: Easy

5.0 from 2 votes

Pin

Print

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

Metric US

• 4 medium 4 aubergines sliced into rounds about 1cm thick

• 750 g 750 potatoes sliced into rounds about 1cm thick

• 2 tbsp 2 extra virgin olive oil

• 100 g 100 dried red lentils

• 100 g 100 dried green lentils

• 1 large 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 2 medium 2 carrots, finely chopped

• 1 large 1 red pepper, finely chopped

• 2 cloves 2 garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp 1 tomato purée

• 400 g 400 tinned chopped tomatoes

• 400 g 400 tinned chickpeas

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 paprika

• 2 tbsp 2 chopped fresh/frozen parsley

• 1 tbsp 1 dried oregano

• For the GF white sauce:

• 60 g 60 butter

• 60 g 60 corn flour

• 400 ml 400 milk of choice

• black pepper to taste

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 ground nutmeg

• 100 g 100 hard vegetarian cheese, grated

Directions for the Lentil Stew

• In a large saucepan gently fry the onion, pepper, carrot and garlic on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until beautifully soft. Stir occasionally.
• Then add the tomato puree, spices and herbs. Mix well and heat for a further 2 minutes.
• Now add the lentils, tinned tomatoes, and chickpeas, including the water, and mix well.  Add a further 1/2 can of water, then season well with salt and black pepper, Stir to combine.
• Leave the stew to simmer away gently, stirring occasionally so the lentils don’t stick for around 20-25 minutes.
  You may want to add a little more water if needed, but don’t make it too wet as the stew should be lovely and thick.
• Directions for the Vegetable Layers
• Preheat the oven 200C/180C Fan
• Lay the aubergine slices on baking trays, with a little olive oil and season well.
• Roast the aubergine slices in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn them over and roast them for a further 10 minutes.
  Once roasted leave them to one side.
• Place the potato slices into a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
  Drain and leave them to steam in a colander.
• Directions For the white sauce:
• On a low heat, melt the butter gently in a saucepan.
• Whisk in the corn flour into the melted butter until you have a smooth paste.
  
• Gradually whisk in the milk, Start with a little at a time, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. This prevents lumps from forming
• When you have added around 200ml of the milk, Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Keep whisking while the milk heats through and the sauce begins to thicken.
• Whisk constantly and continue to slowly add the rest of the milk until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
• Season with salt, black pepper & nutmeg and leave to one side.
• To assemble the Moussaka
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C
• In an ovenproof dish, measuring 9inchx9inch / 24cmx24cm add half of your lentil stew.
• Next, add a layer of potatoes and then a layer of aubergine
• Repeat this, by adding the remainder of your stew, another potato layer and then the final aubergine layer.
• Finally, Pour the gluten-free béchamel sauce evenly over the top of the moussaka. If you’re using parmesan, or another grated cheese sprinkle a little over the top.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. It should be bubbling with a beautiful crunchy golden top

Equipment

• Hand WhisksBuy Here
• Measuring SpoonsBuy Here
• Silicone SpatulaBuy Here
• Large Food Weighing ScalesBuy Here

Tips and Notes

• Dont let the long list of ingredients and steps put you off – this recipe is worth the little extra time!
• Diabetes Note -A meal like this where the carbs are part of the dish can be tricky to count, but don’t let that put you off. Check out the detailed carb counting info above

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @wholeheartykitchen on Instagram

Like this recipe?

Pin & Follow @wholeheartykitchen on Pinterest

Follow my facebook page

Follow Whole Hearty Kitchen on Facebook

Recipe Card plugin by WPZOOM