Vegetarian Recipes

Margherita Pizza

https://www.loveandlemons.com/margherita-pizza/

A simple Caprese salad is one of my default dinners in August, so naturally, when I start craving more substantial meals in September, I turn to its heartier cousin: the Margherita pizza. Like Caprese salad, Margherita pizza stars fresh basil, mozzarella, and the best tomatoes you can find. It’s still a delicious, simple showcase of good quality produce, but the addition of crisp, chewy pizza crust, melty cheese, and warm sauce makes it a cozier, heartier meal.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to go into full pumpkin and soup mode yet. Our farmers markets are still boasting juicy tomatoes, and our backyard basil plant is still chugging along, so we might as well enjoy them while we can! This homemade Margherita pizza recipe uses only 7 basic components, so good tomatoes are a must. It’ll be on repeat around here for the next few weeks, while we can still get our hands on A+ tomatoes.

We really love this one; I hope you do too!

My Margherita Pizza Recipe Ingredients

With only 7 components, my homemade Margherita pizza recipe is fresh, comforting, and easy to toss together any night of the week. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Homemade pizza dough. I use my go-to homemade pizza dough recipe. The chewy/crisp crust is delicious under the juicy tomatoes and melty cheese.
Homemade pizza sauce. I use a food processor to blend together a 5-ingredient tomato sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, and I don’t cook it before spreading it on the pizza. As a result, it has a delicious, sweet flavor that complements the fresh tomatoes perfectly.
Cherry tomatoes. Rather than use large tomatoes here, I opt for cherry tomatoes. They’re less watery and have a more concentrated flavor than bigger varieties would, so they give this pizza a great taste and texture.
Fresh mozzarella cheese. I seek out fresh bocconcini mozzarella for my Margherita pizza. You can use any fresh mozzarella in a pinch, but bocconcini mozzarella comes in nice, medium-sized balls. When you slice it, it matches the size of the cherry tomato slices, which makes for a pretty pizza.
Fresh basil. Sprinkle it over the pizza after it comes out of the oven, so it doesn’t burn or brown! For more basil goodness, a few dollops of pesto would also be delicious.
Extra-virgin olive oil and red pepper flakes. The perfect finishing touches!

Stretch your dough, spread on the sauce, and layer it with the thinly sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden, and add the remaining pizza toppings: a shower of fresh basil leaves, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Slice, and enjoy!

Margherita Pizza

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Main dish

1 recipe Pizza Dough
½ heaping cup Pizza Sauce
8 ounces fresh bocconcini mozzarella, sliced
½ cup sliced cherry tomatoes
10 basil leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 500°F
Spread the pizza sauce onto the dough. Top with the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is browned. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

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.