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I made a regular and keto version. It was 6 net grams for a slice, so serve with a big salad but you’re doing that already, right?
Moussaka (optional keto)
Ingredients
- 3 whole Eggplants
- 3 pounds potatoes *Yukon or russet) ( skip for keto )
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, or red wine ( use vinegar for keto )
Bechamel Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper (white or black)
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Bechamel (keto)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper (white or black)
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 egg yolks 1/2
Assembly
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Overall notes
- Eggplant skin has an intense flavour, and removing half is what I recommend.
- While eggplant is brining, start on the potatoes.
- Start frying eggplant and potatoes after the meatsauce is set to simmer.
Prepare the eggplant
- Cut off both ends, I cut away about half the skin (optional). Cut the eggplant into disks, instead of lengthwise (1/4″ or so in thickness. I usually go with 1/2″).
- In a large bowl, stir 1/2 cup of salt into 8 cups of warm water. Put the eggplant disks in the saltwater brine, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Rinse the eggplant disks, and place a layer on paper towel, cover with a layer of paper towel, and repeat – we want to soak up excess water before we fry them.
Prepare the meatsauce
- Cook the onions and garlic in 1/4 cup oil (and optional 2 tbsp butter) on medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the meat, and cook until browned. Stir regularly to prevent it from burning.
- If you see puddles of oil, consider skimming some off and discarding it.
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the meat sauce, and stir regularly.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Remove the bay leaves, remove from heat, and let cool until assembly.
Prepare the potatoes
- Scrub, wash, peel the potatoes.
- Cut into 1/4" slices, pat dry with paper towel, and fry in oil until lightly golden-brown.
- Place the fried potatoes on paper towels and pat dry with paper towel.
Fry the Egglpant
- Lightly fry the eggplant until golden brown on both sides.
- Place the fried eggplant on paper towels and pat dry with paper towel.
Bechamel Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.
- Heat the milk in a separate pan.
- Add the flour to the butter and start whisking.
- Once the flour has absorbed all the butter and you whisk away all the clumps, add the milk one cup at a time and keep whisking.
- Add the rest of the ingredients other than the nutmeg and yolks.
- Keep whisking.
- Remove from heat, add the yolks and nutmeg, and keep whisking. We want the mixture to be creamy, not make scrambled eggs.
Bechamel Sauce (keto)
- On medium heat, melt the cheese and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan, and start slowly whisking until smooth.
- Keep slowly whisking and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sprinkle the xanthan gum evenly across the top.
- Bring to just below a simmer, whisk in the 2 egg yolks, and remove from heat. Do not stop whisking - we're making a sauce, not scrambled eggs.
- When the eggs are fully incorporated and smooth, set aside until assembly.
Assemble the Moussaka
- Lightly grease a 9x13" casserole dish
- Layer of the potatoes to completely cover the bottom of the dish, and lightly salt if desired.
- Cover the potatoes with a layer of eggplant.
- Cover the eggplant with the meatsauce. Optional add 3 tablespoons of bechamel to the meatsauce to help keep it together.
- Cover the meatsauce with the rest of the eggplant.
- Pour the bechamel on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and bake for 30 minutes (until the top is golden brown.
- Let the moussaka sit for at least 20 minutes to let everything set.
Notes
If using regular ground beef, one option is to boil it in water, drain the water, then brown it with the onions and garlic.
Some meatsauce recipes call for adding 1-2 beaten eggs after the meat sauce has cooled, just prior to assembly.
Be careful when frying the eggplant as any water inside will foam up, and can cause the oil to splatter. This is a great time to use a splatter guard.
Heating the milk separately speeds things up, but this is optional. It takes longer to cook this way, but it saves on dishes.