A meatless dish that was awarded with applause by the judges

In the 14th episode of MasterChef Slovenia, the contestants took on a very special challenge. They were presented with well-known meat classics, and their task was to prepare them in a vegetarian version in 90 minutes. It wasn't enough to just leave out the meat - they had to come as close to the original as possible in appearance and taste.

Among the dishes that earned the judges' attention was Tadej's moussaka with yogurt sauce. He prepared it with potatoes, zucchini, carrots, garlic, celery, and mushrooms, proving that even a meatless version can convince the most die-hard meat lovers.

"I don't think there's a meat eater in this world who would say that this doesn't suit them. Great," Karim praised his dish. Luka was also impressed, emphasizing that he didn't miss the meat at all in the dish: "I don't even think there's any meat in here. Visually, in terms of taste, everything is fine. Bravo." Mojmir even compared Tadej's moussaka to the one you could get on a Greek island. "If he told me that this was moussaka with lamb, I would say: "Give me another one."

After the tasting, the judges didn't need to say anything more – they simply applauded Tadej. "I'm so happy, I'm so proud, I can't believe it. Hearing such affirmations from chefs you respect... I'm really proud of myself," said Tadej after the overwhelming response. His moussaka was also the best dish of the challenge, which is why he earned a place in the balcony. "I'm so happy, I'm so happy, I think it's great. The stars aligned for me today," he said after the victory.

For moussaka:

- 1/2 carrot, diced

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 1 stalk of celery, chopped

-1 clove of garlic, grated

-200 g mixed mushrooms (oyster mushrooms and brown and white mushrooms), coarsely ground in a food processor

- 1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 cm cubes

- 1 zucchini, cut into 0.5 cm thick strips

- 100 ml tomato passata

- 1/2 can brown lentils, drained

- 3 potatoes, cut into thin slices

- butter to taste

- olive oil as needed

- salt and pepper to taste

Spices:

- 1 tablespoon thyme

- 1 tablespoon oriental cumin

- 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika

- chili flakes or chili powder to taste

- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the béchamel:

- 50 g butter

- 2 tablespoons flour

- 300 ml of milk

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 teaspoon nutmeg

- salt and pepper to taste

For the yogurt sauce:

- 100 ml Greek yogurt

- a handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

- lemon peel

- 1 teaspoon of honey

- salt and pepper to taste

Preparation process:

First, fry the carrots, onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper and fry until the vegetables release their water and soften. In another pan, fry the mushrooms until they are nicely browned, then add them to the fried vegetables. Add the grated garlic and stir until fragrant, then stir in all the spices, Worcestershire and soy sauce. When the ingredients are well infused with flavors, pour in the tomato passata and add a little butter to taste.

In a separate pan, fry the zucchini slices and set aside. Separately, fry the eggplant in olive oil, season with salt, and when nicely browned, add to the rest of the vegetables. Towards the end, stir in the drained brown lentils and set aside.

For the béchamel, melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth cream is formed. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set the béchamel aside and let it cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolk.

Boil the potatoes until almost soft. Then, layer the potatoes, zucchini, mushroom, vegetable and lentil filling, and béchamel sauce in a ceramic dish.

Bake the moussaka for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, or until the béchamel on top is nicely browned.

Meanwhile, prepare the yogurt sauce. Mix the Greek yogurt with fresh mint, lemon zest, and honey, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the baked moussaka with the yogurt sauce.