Quick Fix: Moussaka, a taste of Greece

Quick Fix for 2

By Linda Gassenheimer By Linda Gassenheimer
McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Posted: Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012

HANDOUT - MCT

Moussaka, a layered eggplant casserole, is traditional fare at every Greek taverna.

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Moussaka

Olive oil spray

1/2 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 3/4 cups)

3/4 pound eggplant, washed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 1/2 cups)

1 cup frozen diced/chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 pound low-fat ground beef (95 percent lean)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup nonfat, plain yogurt

2 ounces crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese (scant 1/2 cup)

PREHEAT broiler.

HEAT a stove-to-oven casserole dish or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat with olive oil spray. Add potatoes and eggplant, cover with a lid and saute 15 minutes, turning the vegetables several times.

HEAT a nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil spray. Saute onion and garlic 1 minute. Add ground beef. Saute 2 minutes, breaking up the beef with a spoon. Mix tomato paste and water together and add to meat. Blend well. Add cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 1 minute. Set aside.

ASSEMBLE dish: Add salt and pepper to taste to the potatoes and eggplant. If using a stove-to-oven casserole, spread the meat mixture evenly over the vegetables. Otherwise, spoon potatoes and eggplant into a casserole dish that can go under the broiler. Spread the meat evenly over the vegetables. In either case, spoon yogurt evenly over meat and sprinkle feta cheese on top.

PLACE under broiler for 5 minutes. It will become bubbly and a little brown. Remove and serve.

PER SERVING: 556 calories (23 percent from fat), 14.3 g fat (6.4 g saturated, 4.8 g monounsaturated), 231 mg cholesterol, 55.5 g protein, 52.7 g carbohydrates, 10.2 g fiber, 606 mg sodium.

Yield:

2 servings

Moussaka, a layered eggplant casserole, is traditional fare at every Greek taverna.

The dish has hundreds of variations. Usually slices of eggplant and sometimes potatoes are sauteed and layered with a spiced ground meat. topped with a white sauce flavored with Greek cheese or yogurt.

For this quick dinner, I have captured the flavors of a traditional moussaka and shortened the recipe by cutting the potatoes and eggplant into small pieces and cooking them separately to form the first layer. The spiced meat becomes the second layer, topped with yogurt and cheese. I used Greek feta cheese. Grated parmesan can also be used.

This meal contains 556 calories with 23 percent of calories from fat.

Helpful hint

• To save cleaning an extra pan, cook the potatoes and eggplant in a stove-to-oven casserole dish. Or use a regular skillet if the handle can go in the oven and it fits under the broiler.

For a printable copy of the recipe, click the link:

Moussaka