Sweet potato moussaka with spinach and ajvar

This moussaka is so creamy and juicy and oh, so delicious, that it has quickly became one of our favorite Sunday dishes. I’m a big fan of moussaka dishes and all the gorgeous layers of awesomeness tucked in between layers of thinly sliced potatoes. And this moussaka right here is made not with one but two creamy fillings that I’m sure you’re going to love as much as I do. One hearty, creamy spinach layer and another with a mild smokey aroma of red roasted capsicum peppers, made with ajvar.

Though insanely yummy, a classical moussaka can be a bit of a handful to make as it takes time to prep all the layers and a sauce. But I’m bringing good news here my friends, as this is not the case for this vegan moussaka. It’s in fact very easy to make, especially if you prepare some of the fillings in advance so you just put it together and let the oven do the rest. This moussaka has two creamy fillings, one with spinach and another with ajvar, that can be completely or partially prepared in advance and kept in fridge overnight. The rest of it is so easy, so, let’s start cooking!

What you’ll need for about 8 servings:

  • 4 sweet potatoes medium size
  • 500g of spinach – you can use frozen one too
  • 150g raw cashews
  • 250ml soy or other non dairy cooking cream
  • 250g of original ajvar made of roasted red peppers only, I used the Granny’s Secret one for this moussaka
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • a pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp of fine rice flour
  • salt, pepper, olive oil

Let’s cook:

Wash and scrape the skin of the potatoes and thinly slice them.

Turn the oven to 200C.

To make the spinach layer:

If you’re using fresh spinach, wash it and shortly blanche in hot water. Then chop it finely and place in a pan. In case you’re using frozen one, defrost it in a pan on a stove until all the extra liquid evaporates. Add finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, pepper and a nutmeg, 125ml of soy cream and rice flour. Stirring bring to boil until it thickens a bit and leave aside, it will thicken further as it cools down. You can make this filling a day in advance and simply get it out of your fridge to put together the moussaka.

To make the ajvar layer:

Either soak the cashews in water overnight or cook it for 15 to 20min until they turn soft. Rinse and cool under cold water and pop into a food processor. Blend it together with 2 garlic cloves until smooth, add 125ml of soy cream and ajvar. No need to add salt as the ajvar is already salty. You can make this layer a day in advance and keep in a fridge too.

Assemble the layers:

Brush the casserole dish with some olive oil. Place the sweet potato slices tightly next to each other. First thinly spread the spinach layer. Then thinly spread the ajvar layer on top. Place another round of sweet potato slices on top, then repeat. You should end with sweet potatoes on top of your moussaka. Again, lightly brush the top potato layer with olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of chili flakes if you wish and let it bake for some 30mins or until nice and golden and irresistible.

Hope you enjoy this recipe my friends, and if you’re looking for more recipes and ideas with ajvar you might want to try these yummy stuffed peppers or visit ajvar.com Happy cooking!

 

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