Primal Moussaka
Inspired by Greek Moussaka, the flavors in this casserole of layered eggplant and ground meat might sound a little unusual, but it’s a mild dish that’s likely to appeal to everyone at the table. Plus, it’s one of those great meals that taste even better the next day. Overnight, the flavors meld together even more, the texture tastes richer and while the casserole is good hot, it’s not so bad cold, either. Primal Moussaka is the type of dish you’re going to want to eat a few forkfuls of right out of the fridge before warming the rest up.
The silky texture of the eggplant and the warm, savory flavors of cinnamon, allspice and fresh dill mixed in with the meat mimic the taste of the traditional Greek casserole. But there’s a lot that’s different, too. The cheese sauce thickened with flour that tops traditional Moussaka has been replaced with full-fat Greek yogurt that bakes into a surprisingly creamy and dense topping. The trick is mixing the yogurt with eggs and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. There’s a little bit of chopped kale thrown into the casserole (optional, but really tasty) and although the meat can be ground lamb, it doesn’t have to be. The result is a version of Moussaka that actually tastes a little like lasagna, minus the noodles.
Intrigued? Give the recipe a try tonight!
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1-2 large eggplants, peeled (optional) and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 bunch of kale, chewy lower stems cut off
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- 1 pound ground meat (lamb is traditional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- olive oil, for sautéing
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Salting the eggplant is optional, but it will draw out moisture and prevent the eggplant slices from soaking up so much oil. After peeling (optional) and slicing the eggplant, place the slices in a colander. Sprinkle the slices liberally with kosher salt. Let the slices sit for 20-30 minutes until moisture appears on the surface. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly and blot dry.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add several slices of eggplant to the hot oil at a time and sauté the eggplant slices, turning as necessary, until soft and just lightly browned. Continue heating oil and cooking the eggplant until all the slices are cooked. Set the eggplant aside.
Boil the kale for 3 minutes. Puree the kale with the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water in a food processor.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Saute a few minutes then add meat, cinnamon and allspice. Stir, so the meat browns evenly. After five minutes add the dill and the tomato mixture.
Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
As the meat cooks, whisk together eggs, yogurt and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a lightly oiled 2-quart square baking dish, place a thin layer of eggplant then cover with the meat. Layer the remaining eggplant on top, then the yogurt. Top with additional grate cheese if desired.
Bake 45 minutes, or until the top is set and golden brown. Let rest 20 minutes before cutting into the Moussaka.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
Anybody have an idea for a tomato substitute in this recipe? I can’t eat them.
I made this last night to kick off the 21 day challenge. My only substitution was chopped frozen spinach for the kale. It was absolutely delicious, and my extremely picky boyfriend even ate seconds.
Just made this, it was so great! I loaded it up with pitted olives that I bought at a fresh olive bar. It really made the difference!
I also used a combination of Lamb and Veal for the meat. Gotta love two meats.
Looks tasty
. I tried cooking the beef and pumpkin recipe last week and it was fantastic. Think I will give this a try at some point this week.
Made this two nights ago with double lamb. It is out of this world!
Thanks Mark!
Thank you so much for this recipe , I made it tonight for dinner and it turned out great, the rest of the tribe loved it too!
I made this and it looks exactly like the recipe. A little work but really nice dish.
Moussaka is definitely one of my favorite dishes. We’ve been traditionally eating this dish throughout the years here in the Balkans. I’d only recommend slightly changing the ingredients, and instead of using eggplant, try leeks..it is amazingly delicious..at least that’s how we make moussaka here in the Balkans.
Thank you! I tried making this once, but skipped the bechemel entirely, so it was just lamb and eggplant. It was good, but no substitute for the real thing. This looks alot more authentic.
I made this tonight. It was kinda bland, but still pretty good. Definitely drain as much liquid as you can from the tomato-beef mixture. Baking took 50 minutes at 350; I think the yogurt I used wasn’t fattening enough, so there was more liquid that needed to bake off so that the moussaka could set.
I’d like to make this again, but it took way too long to make (1 hour and 40 minutes prep time, doesn’t include the 50 minutes in the oven). Part of the problem was the sauteeing of the eggplant. Has anyone tried just throwing the eggplant into the casserole without sauteeing? By the way, kosher salting the eggplant for 30 minutes was well worth it; There was at least a couple ounces of water that exuded from the eggplant as a result.
I made this last night and it was delicious! Of course I’ve never had real moussaka so I can’t compare.
The only thing I did different was to use a can of tomato paste because I only had one tomato. It was a heavy dish, but very satisfying.
I’m about to have it again for lunch!
My wife and I love fried eggplant. I like the idea of this recipe. Is there a way to replace dairy products to something else? She is allergic to dairy and tomatoe. Any suggestion?
The yoghurt/egg topping is the standard recipe in Bulgaria. Actually there is no cheese needed at all (Bulgarians alomost exclusively use feta cheese anyway -> and that goes into the salad).
But to get the real balkanese taste you need the mixed herbs “Tschubritza”
Words cannot describe them.
Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. Added a little extra cinnamon to bump up the flavor, but other than that followed the recipe to the letter.
This morning we warmed up the leftovers and it was even better!!
Made this with venison mince and it was fantastic. Much leaner than lamb and adds a lovely depth of flavour. YUM!
I made this last night but used slabs of zucchini instead of eggplant because I *hate* eggplant. It was divine. And my non-veggie eaters didn’t even notice the snuck-in kale. WIN.
i tried this on the weekend, it is divine. I didn’t have any kale so i used grated zuccini.
Tried it… Didn’t particularly like it
The sauteing of the eggplant was a real chore as well… I think I would broil them if I ever tried this again.
Thank you for your dedication to the rest of us, caring about us, informing us, working your butt off for us.
I can’t eat dairy, so I subbed the yogurt for equal amounts of canned coconut milk. Surprisingly, it didn’t give the dish a coconuty flavour and I still got that bechamel creamy good topping.
My husband loved this… I owed him a yummy greek dish after we had to walk out of a greek restaurant when they couldn’t accommodate to gluten free. Thanks for this great recipe
One of my new favs.
This is in the oven as I type. Looked delishious!!
My mother-in-law uses sliced cumbers (lengthwise) instead of eggplant. Also very good.
— KP
I tried it and it was amazing!
my mom used to make eggplant cassarole with saltine crackers, eggplant, milk plus other ingrediants. does anyone know the rest of the recipe? i don’t remember any meat or tomatoe.
I love making primal moussaka — but in place of the olive oil that is called for in the recipe, I use ghee to brown the eggplant. Another change we made that is actually exceptional is using my homemade lemon-coconut mayonnaise in place of the eggs and cheese in the crust. YUMM
Made this tonight minus the yogurt topping, and used swiss chard that we had in the garden instead of kale – yum!
Anyone see my big fat greek wedding? “omg your eating moose kaka?!” and everyone laughs at her… lol!
I stumbled upon this in the morning; and made it for dinner. This is a great recipe –although I subbed broccoli for kale. All the picky eaters at the table asked for seconds.
A bunch of Kale is ALOT of Kale? Mine turned into green goop….
just tried this and in simmer stage but its total liquid and looks nothing like the photo. was i supposed to drain the can of tomoatoes? Bummed as I have an hour into this already:-(