Traditional Greek moussaka stars eggplant fried in plenty of olive oil and ground lamb layered with a white sauce enriched with egg yolks, so it’s not light by any means. We halve and roast the eggplant instead and top the eggplant boats with a lean ground beef tomato ragu seasoned with warming cinnamon and oregano. Instead of a heavy cream sauce topping, we serve the eggplant boats with a creamy feta-garlic Greek yogurt sauce. It’s filling Greek comfort food without loads of fat.
Eggplant contains anthocyanins, antioxidants that, among other benefits, can help improve the diversity of bacteria in your gut, which can help fight disease.
Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Low-Carb Moussaka
Ingredients
- 2 medium (1-pound/454g) eggplant, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound (454g) 95% lean ground beef or lamb
- 2 cups (473ml) low-carb marinara sauce (I used Antica Rustica)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup (118ml) plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup (45g) feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place the eggplant cut-side up in a large baking pan and brush with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the red sauce. Mist a large saute pan with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until the meat is browned, 8 minutes. Drain off any fat in the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and add the marinara sauce, oregano and cinnamon, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Slice 2 cloves of the garlic and add them to the baking pan with the eggplant. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the baking dish. Carefully spoon the meat sauce onto the cut side of the eggplant. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the eggplant is very tender, 50 minutes.
While the eggplant bakes, make the yogurt sauce. Finely chop the remaining garlic clove and combine with the yogurt, dill and feta cheese. Transfer the eggplant boats to plates, discarding the liquid in the pan. Top the eggplant with dollops of the yogurt mixture and serve.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 eggplant half and 3 1/2 tablespoons yogurt sauce
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 362; Total Fat: 18g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 81mg; Sodium: 640mg; Carbohydrate: 22g; Dietary Fiber: 9g; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 32g
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