GREEK MOUSSAKA
Oh boy, this was sooo good! I savored this meal until it was finally all gone days later! Wonderful classic and this low-carb version was ever so
tasty! If you love eggplant you’ll love this classic dish that is beloved of not only Greek
people. Serve with a Greek salad or any
salad of your choosing. If you have more
than the amount of eggplant suggested, make it all, as you will be so tempted
to taste several pieces once they are roasted.
Roasted eggplant is so delicious!
I use the Japanese skinny eggplant; my favorite as the skins are not
tough or bitter at all in my opinion, and there is no need to salt the eggplant
and wait forever and a day for it to do its thing.
11/2 lbs Japanese eggplants (0.68 kg)
3 tbsp olive oil (45 mL)
1/2
tsp seasoning salt (2 mL)
11/2 lbs lean ground beef (0.68 kg)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (411 g)
1/4
cup tomato paste (60 mL)
11/2 tsp salt (7 mL)
1 tsp oregano (5 mL)
1 tsp cinnamon (5 mL)
1/2
tsp black pepper (2 mL)
1/4
tsp allspice (1 mL)
1/2
cup grated Mozzarella cheese (125 mL)
White Sauce:
6 oz cream cheese (180 g)
11/2 cups almond milk, OR (375 mL)
a mixture of whipping cream and water (half and half)
1/3
cup Parmesan cheese (75 mL)
3 tbsp butter (45 mL)
2 eggs, fork beaten
1/4
tsp salt (1 mL)
1/4
tsp black pepper (1 mL)
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut
ends of eggplant off and slice them thinly and place in large bowl. In small bowl combine olive oil and seasoning
salt. Pour over eggplant and toss to combine. Place on cookie sheets in one
layer and roast eggplant about 20 minutes or until browned and either soft or
crispy (some will be soft and some crispy – thinner slices will be crispy). Set aside.
In
nonstick frying pan, cook ground beef, breaking it up very small, over medium
heat until browning. Add tomatoes,
tomato paste, salt, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper and allspice and continue
cooking on slightly lower heat for a while.
While meat is simmering, make the white sauce.
White Sauce: In sauce pot or frying pan, combine cream
cheese (broken into small bits), almond milk, OR cream mixture, Parmesan cheese
and butter. Whisk until smooth and
bubbly. In small bowl, stir some of the
sauce into eggs which have been beaten with the salt and pepper, and add back
to the rest of the sauce over very low heat; remove quickly from heat as the
sauce thickens.
Reduce
oven heat to 350°F
(180°C). In 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm)
glass baking dish, layer some white sauce, eggplant, meat, and repeat ending
with meat and some white sauce (won’t fully cover). Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese to cover
blank spots and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake 45 minutes and set aside for 10 to 15
minutes before serving.
Yield: 9 servings
1 serving
397.4
calories
22.1
g protein
30.4
g fat
1.1 g fiber
8.7
g net carbs