(Vegetarian) Moussaka

Well, I hope you really like eggplant! Moussaka is an Arabic world, and there are many, many forms of moussaka, but the most common is the Greek variety. It's an eggplant based dish with tomato, ground meat, and a bechamel sauce. Of course, being one of those funny non-meat eaters, I've chosen to make a vegetarian version of this classic - and at the same time, make it a bit healthier! It still features eggplant and tomato, but with a leaner bechamel and bulgur in the place of meat.

And, of course, bulgur is a cereal or wheat grain. It comes in a few forms and is most commonly found in middle eastern food, making it an appropriate stand-in for meat in this classically Greek dish. It actually has a similar texture and color but will taste more like quinoa or a cous cous.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr 40 min
Cost: $13.20



(Vegetarian) Moussaka
Ingredients:
4 c eggplant, sliced
2 tsp olive oil
2 c onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c bulgur, uncooked
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon (ground)
1/8 tsp cloves (ground)
2 c vegetable broth (low sodium)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 tbsp fake butter
2 tbsp flour
1 c fat free milk
2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan, grated
1 egg (lightly beaten)

Get your broiler heating to high as you slice your eggplant. Grease a couple broiler pans and place the eggplant on them. Broil for 5 minutes. Flip the slices of eggplant and broil for another 5 minutes. The eggplant should be lightly browned when it's done.

As the eggplant is broiling, you can get started on the rest of the filling. Get a pan heating over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the add the onion. Saute for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the onion from burning. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Then, add the bulgur. Stir frequently and cook for 4 minutes. It should be lightly toasted.

Sprinkle on the allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir and saute for 1 minute. Then, add the vegetable broth, oregano, and diced tomatoes. Stir until evenly combined. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Only stir occasionally.

At this point, if you haven't already, turn your oven to pre-heat to 350 degrees.

When your bulgur mixture has about 5-10 minutes left, get started on the bechamel. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. As soon as it has melted, sprinkle the flour into the pan on top of the butter. Whisk constantly and cook for one minute.

Slowly add the milk as you continue to whisk. Add about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking the entire time and waiting about 30 seconds between pours. When the milk is all in the pan and evenly mixed (with flour dissolved) bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer it for 5 minutes. Continue to stir frequently throughout that process.

Add the cheese, still stirring frequently and cook for 1 more minute. Then, remove the pan from the heat and add the egg. Whisk the egg in until well combined and then set aside to let the bechamel cool for a couple of minutes.

Finally, you can assemble your moussaka. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the eggplant over the bottom of the pan. Pour the bulgur mixture evenly over the top of the eggplant, and then layer the rest of the eggplant on top. Pour the bechamel evenly over all of the filling.

Bake for 40 minutes. Then turn the heat up to 475 and heat for another 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove and enjoy.

Servings: 6
Serving size: approx. 4"x3" rectangle
Nutrition: calories 164; carbs 26g; fat 4g; protein 7g; sodium 426mg; iron 8mg