Vegetarian Moussaka

It's time for a different kind of Lent, with delicious, nutritious, vegan, and healthy food. This year, we challenge you to look at Lent from a different perspective.
We've made sure to provide you with various quick and easy Lenten recipes to make cooking at home even more enjoyable.

Today's recipe is a vegetarian alternative to a classic Bulgarian dish – moussaka. It's just as delicious as the traditional recipe. Together, we will prepare this aromatic dish step by step. Let's begin:

Ingredients for the "minced meat":

• 1 cup textured pea protein
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 onion
• 3 tbsp olive oil/vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp savory
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce/puree
  
  Other necessary ingredients:
• 6 medium potatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 200 g yogurt
• 1 vegan egg
  
  *If desired, the moussaka can be made without the topping.
  
  Preparation method:
• Pour hot water over the Dragon Superfoods textured protein. Soak it for about 15-20 minutes until it softens. In the meantime, heat a pan and add olive oil/vegetable oil.
• Sauté the onion until golden. Then add the textured protein and spices to it. Sauté everything for about 5-10 minutes.
• In a medium-deep baking dish, arrange a layer of potatoes, a layer of "minced meat," and another layer of potatoes. Cover the top layer with tomatoes, then cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 250 degrees for about 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
• Prepare the topping - mix the vegan yogurt with the vegan egg. Optionally, add a little salt. When the potatoes are ready, remove the dish and pour the topping over the moussaka. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes without foil, until the topping forms a crust. You can skip the topping step if you prefer to eat your moussaka that way.
  
  *The recipe for Vegetarian Moussaka was created for us by Ivalena Stefanova, known on social media as @eat.healthy.bg.
  
  We hope you enjoyed the recipe and, most importantly, that the dish was delicious. Check out our other Christmas Lenten recipes, which will also make Lent a pleasant experience for the whole family.