Wednesday's blog got me thinking about vegetarian recipes.  I nostalgically pulled out my 1992 edition of the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  Nowadays, vegetarianism is pretty mainstream with an amazing selection of cookbooks and incredible restaurants.  Back in the early 90's, there were not quite as many choices and the Moosewood Cookbook was, to many, the vegetarian cookbook.  It has sold millions over the last 3 decades and contains many recipes that became vegetarian classics.  Ironically, Mollie Katzen is no longer vegetarian, go figure, but she remains a pretty iconic figure in the vegetarian world.

One of the recipes that caught my eye was her Mushroom Moussaka.  I hadn't made it for ever, but I remembered it as a hearty meal that will even satisfy meat-lovers.  I started off thinking of a slightly more streamlined/quicker version and ended up taking it down a different path. 

The only part of this recipe that requires some fussing is the eggplant preparation.   The best way to prepare eggplant for a casserole like this is to slice it, salt it, let it sweat out its bitter juices, and then roast it.  It's not hard, it's just a couple of extra steps.   Aside from that, the recipe is pretty simple and low effort. 

Besides speeding up the prep time and streamlining the ingredients, I decided to ditch the classic bechamel sauce that goes on top.  After assembling all those healthy ingredients, I didn't really want to top it all off with a sauce made of fat and flour.  Not only that, but it requires about 1/2 hour of whisking over the stove top.  Nope, that wouldn't do.  I decided to capture the flavors of the bechamel sauce by making a sauce out of yogurt, nutmeg, and Parmesan.  I was very happy with it!

Vegetarian Mushroom Moussaka

3 large eggplants, unpeeled and sliced into thin 1/4-inch rounds.
2 trimmed leeks which are available bagged at TJ's, chopped (makes about 3 cups chopped).
1 10-oz bag sliced Crimini mushrooms
1 24-oz jar Rustico Southern Italian Sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1 packed cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup Freshly Shredded Parmesan

For the sauce:
1 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup Freshly Shredded Parmesan

1.) Salt the eggplant slices, making sure both sides are lightly covered, and place in a colander.  Let them sit for at least 15 minutes, preferably 30.
2.) Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute the leeks for 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Add the sauce and cinnamon.  Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat.  Stir in the parsley and Parmesan.
3.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry.  Brush the slices with olive oil and then spread the slices on two baking sheets.  Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes until the slices look softened.
4.) Reduce the oven to 375 degrees.  Oil an 8x12 or 9x13-inch baking dish.  Place two layers of eggplant slices in the bottom and then add the mushroom sauce on top.  Cover with the remaining eggplant slices (another two layers). 
5.) In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, nutmeg, and Parmesan.  Pour this over the top of the casserole and spread evenly over the top.
6.) Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6