Vegetarian Recipes

Hummus Crostini Appetizers

https://www.loveandlemons.com/hummus-crostini-appetizers/

Now that the 4th of July has come and gone, summer is in full swing. Not only are we (finally) seeing sunny skies and warm weather, but we’ve also had a lot of visitors in the last few weeks. Jack’s sister was in town for the 4th, and his parents were in a week earlier. We’ve had friends visiting as well!

With company in the house, I always like to have a few good appetizer ideas up my sleeve. Different people like to eat at different times, and I never want guests to starve while they wait for dinner to be served. In the past, I’ve made my own hummus or served avocado toast, but with the amount of people we’ve had coming and going in the last few weeks, I decided to go a different route this year.

This summer, ALDI is launching creative new hummus flavors all season long. When I saw the range of options – Jalapeño Lime, Rosemary Sea Salt, Ranch, and more – I knew that these spreads would be my entertaining hack for summer appetizers.

Rather than spending time in the kitchen blending up my own hummus or worrying about avocado toast getting brown, I used these new, flavor-packed hummuses from ALDI as the base of these crostini appetizers. With the yummy hummuses already made, I could spend less time in the kitchen and more with our guests. And instead of thinking about making hummus, I could focus on showcasing the wonderful produce we have this time of year.

I paired each hummus with simple, fresh ingredients, and let me tell you, these crostini pack a huge punch of flavor. I found all the ingredients at ALDI, so they’re affordable entertaining options. But best of all, these crostini appetizer ideas are really easy to assemble. Our summer guests will vouch for how delicious they are, too!

My Easy Crostini Appetizer Recipes

I tried six of the new ALDI hummus flavors for these appetizer recipes, and I developed a fresh topping combination for each. Here are my new go-to summer appetizer ideas:

Greek Salad Crostini – A cube of feta, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes & cucumber make a tangy, briny & crisp topping for Mediterranean hummus.
Cool Cucumber Ranch Crostini – I top a slather of the Ranch hummus with cucumber ribbons, lime juice, and chives.
Corn Ceviche Crostini – My favorite! We LOVE the crisp, bright mixture of corn, chiles, red onion & lime over zesty Jalapeño Lime hummus.
Strawberry Caprese Crostini – Have you every tried eating hummus with something sweet? For this crostini, I use the ALDI Park Street Deli Classic hummus, and I swap a strawberry for the tomato in the caprese trifecta. Let me tell you, the sweet/savory combination is absolutely delicious!
Roasted Grape & Feta Crostini – Another sweet pairing, and another favorite! Juicy roasted grapes & earthy Rosemary Sea Salt hummus are a match made in heaven. A tangy crumble of feta and sprigs of thyme are the perfect finishing touch.
Beet, Avocado & Chia Crostini – This one couldn’t be simpler – it’s just a dollop of sweet beet hummus, a few slices of creamy avocado, and a sprinkle of chia for crunch. I love the bold colors in this combo!

If you have leftover hummus after making these summer appetizers, use it in a chickpea shawarma wrap or an easy veggie wrap. Of course, all these hummus flavors are good with fresh veggies & crackers, too.

If you love these appetizer ideas…

Head to ALDI to find all these fresh ingredients and bold hummuses at great prices. And if you try these easy appetizers, comment below with your favorite!

Hummus Crostini Appetizers

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: appetizer

Specially Selected French Baguette, sliced and toasted

½ cup sweet corn kernels
2 tablespoons minced red onion
½ teaspoon minced jalapeño
2 teaspoons minced cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Park Street Deli Jalapeño Lime Hummus

Park Street Deli Rosemary Sea Salt Hummus
Organic red grapes
Simply Nature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Sea salt
Happy Farms Feta Block, crumbled
Thyme leaves

Park Street Deli Mediterranean Hummus
Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Mini cucumbers, sliced
Park Street Deli Kalamata Olives, halved
Happy Farms Feta Block, sliced
Simply Nature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Pinches of Simply Nature Oregano

Park Street Deli Ranch Hummus
Mini cucumbers, peeled into ribbons
Simply Nature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Lemon, for squeezing
Sea salt
Chopped chives, optional

Park Street Deli Classic Hummus
Strawberries, sliced
Priano Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
Basil leaves
Simply Nature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling

Park Street Deli Beet Hummus
Avocado, sliced
Lemon, for squeezing
Simply Nature Chia Seeds, for sprinkling
Sea salt

In a small bowl, combine the corn, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt. Chill until ready to use. Assemble crostini with the hummus and spoonfuls of the ceviche.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the grapes on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 7 to 10 minutes or until soft and bursty. Assemble crostini with the hummus, roasted grapes, sprinkles of feta, and thyme leaves.

Assemble crostini with the hummus, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.

Assemble crostini with the hummus and top with cucumber ribbons. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze a little lemon juice, and sprinkle with sea salt and chives, if using.

Assemble crostini with the hummus, top with strawberries, mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Assemble crostini with the hummus, top with avocado, a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of chia seeds, and a pinch of salt.

Note: the Corn “Ceviche” and roasted grapes can be prepared in advance and stored for 2-3 days in the fridge.

3.4.3177

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

Just like vegetable lasagne, vegetarian moussaka is one of those dishes that I adore, but I rarely cook for myself, because it always seems like such a huge effort. Cooking lentils, boiling potatoes, grilling slices of eggplant, simmering tomato sauce… the vast majority of the time, I really, truly can not be bothered.

That’s why this vegetable moussaka casserole is such a revelation! It’s a casserole-style version of my favourite veggie moussaka, which tastes just the same, but is so much less effort to make! Just stick everything in a baking dish and let it do its thing, casserole-style.

A spoon taking a scoop from a baking dish of cheesy moussaka casserole.

This moussaka casserole has two sections:

a tasty tomatoey layer underneath, made with all the usual ingredients you’d expect to find in a vegetable moussaka – tender lentils, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant and roasted potatoes, cooked in a rich tomato sauce
a thick layer of creamy bechamel sauce on top

As you scoop into the casserole, the creamy sauce drips down and smothers the tomatoey layer. It. Is. Delicious.

How is this Easier than a Regular Vegetarian Moussaka?

I’m not going to lie, this vegetable moussaka casserole takes quite a long time to bake, and the ingredients list is a fair bit longer than the majority of my easy recipes.

However, I stand by the fact that this is so much easier to make than most moussaka recipes. Although it takes a while to cook, it’s almost all hands-off time, where you can go and relax / do some other useful jobs / play with your kids / whatever else you like to do with your life.

Vegetarian moussaka casserole topped with sliced tomato.

This vegetarian moussaka casserole is easy to make because:

using canned lentils mean there’s no boiling required.
the vegetables are roasted in the oven, rather than the more hands-on method of cooking them on the stovetop.
there’s no fiddly layering of sliced ingredients – it’s all baked up together.
even the tomatoey sauce is cooked right there in the oven with the other ingredients.

It’s definitely not a quick weeknight dinner, but if you’re at home over the weekend, it’s the perfect dish to have baking in the oven while you’re busy with other things.

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Overhead shot of a cheesy topped moussaka casserole with sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

potatoes
eggplant (aubergine)
canned lentils (mine were green lentils)
onion – I only used half an onion (a small onion would also work!)
canned tomatoes
tomato paste
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar (my favourite time-saving ingredient!)
dried herbs – mint and oregano. I very rarely use dried mint but trust me, it tastes amazing in moussaka! Not a hint of toothpaste, I promise.
tomato – to slice up for the topping
milk, flour and butter – for the creamy white sauce. You can add a pinch of nutmeg to it as well, if you like.

Becca’s Top Tip

I used the same baking dish to roast up my vegetables, and then to cook the casserole itself. If you’ve got a little less time on your hands, the veggies will actually roast a little quicker if you spread them out on a baking tray – but I wanted to save on dishes to wash! I love a one pot meal.

Recipe Video

Overhead shot of a portion of vegetable moussaka with salad.

Printable Instructions

Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

This vegetable moussaka casserole is a much easier version of a vegetarian moussaka – but is just as tasty, with a luxurious creamy topping!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 35

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 523kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the lentil layer:

1 medium eggplant (aubergine) (~ 250g / ~ 9 oz)
~ 500g (~ 1 lb) potatoes
1 medium onion (or 1/2 large onion)
2 Tbsp oil
400 g tinned lentils, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the topping:

60 g (~ 2 oz) butter
60 g (~ 2 oz) plain flour
500 ml (~ 2 cups) milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 large tomato, sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
Cut the eggplant, potatoes and onion into 2cm dice (I didn’t bother peeling the potatoes). Toss them in a little oil, and add to a baking dish – mine measured approx. 8 x 8 inches.
Roast the vegetables in the centre of the oven for around 50 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, or until the vegetables are fairly soft (the potatoes might still be a bit al dente). If you decide to spread the vegetables out onto a baking tray instead of using the dish, they will cook more quickly.
Add the tinned lentils, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, and dried herbs, and mix well to combine.
Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened up into a rich sauce. Mix well.
To make the béchamel topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the flour. Mix to create a thick paste (a roux), and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth each time before adding more milk. Season to taste with salt. If you need more detailed instructions, check out my white sauce recipe.
Pour the béchamel sauce over the lentil mixture, and top with a few slices of tomato.
Return to the oven for a final 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.
Allow to stand for a few minutes, then serve.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare moussaka in advance?

Absolutely! The casserole can either be cooked entirely and then reheated when needed, or you can assemble it, then do the final bake just before serving.

Can I freeze leftover moussaka?

Moussaka is perfect for batch cooking – just transfer any leftovers to a freezer-safe tub, and freeze. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave.