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Barb Hodgens
Barb Hodgens

Barb Hodgens loves to cook with alternative, healthy whole food ingredients, with a focus on gut health. Barb has overcome her own gut health issues through healthy eating. Share your ideas, comments and photos at the end of this post :)

moussaka

The irresistible Greek crowd pleaser is now healthier!

This easy to follow, step by step moussaka recipe never fails and is guaranteed to have your family and friends asking for seconds.

Traditional moussaka is a rich and decadent dish, usually made by individually frying the eggplant and potatoes in oil before layering. Add to this a rich meat sauce and extra creamy béchamel sauce and you start feeling guilty about it even before the first delicious mouthful. 

The Luvele Kitchen has put a healthier twist on the iconic Greek dish that you are sure to luv! We use a fraction of the oil and take a fraction of the time to make it. We have left in the layers and aromatics but have come up with healthier and simpler ways to build the dish without compromising. We bake the vegetables instead of frying and best of all we crown the dish with an exquisite, yogurt based béchamel style sauce that has an optional, with or without cream, method.

With a Luvele meat grinder in your kitchen you can take complete control of the quality and quantity of the meats you choose; traditionally lamb or a mixture of lamb and beef. To keep it on the lighter side, we opted for all beef using a lean chuck. Whatever you choose, let the sauce simmer for a while on the stove top so the herbs and spices can imbue the meat with their full flavour and aroma.

For a moussaka that complies with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, (SCD) replace the potato layer with a double layer of baked eggplant and use extra homemade 24-hour yogurt or cultured cream in place of pure cream in the sauce.

homemade moussaka

OPTIONAL STEP – SALTING THE EGGPLANT 

Most traditional moussaka recipes insist you salt the eggplant before cooking to draw out bitterness and improve flavour and texture. In my experience, after many years of experimenting, this is an unnecessary and time consuming step that hasn’t ever notably improved a dish. If the eggplants are fresh and firm, you can confidently skip salting.

If you prefer to salt, by all means, please salt away. Simply spread the eggplant slices in one layer on a tray and sprinkle with salt. Leave to sweat for 30 minutes then wash and thoroughly pat dry, otherwise they’ll make your Moussaka too salty. 

moussaka

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

GRINDING THE MEAT

Moussaka mince requires a medium course grind and only one time through the grinder. For a lean meat sauce, cut away any large areas of fat or sinew then chop the meat into 5 cm pieces. Place in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes to make as cold as possible. In the meantime, set up the meat grinder on the bench with the medium (8mm) cutting plate and a bowl or plate under the head. When the meat is ready, turn the grinder on, then use the food pusher to drive the meat through the grinder into a bowl. Cover the meat and leave in the fridge until ready to make the sauce.

HOMEMADE YOGURT

This moussaka recipe uses homemade yogurt made in a Luvele yogurt maker. We used homemade SCD, 24-hour, yogurt made with cow’s milk but goat milk or raw milk yogurt could also be used. Alternatively, if you are not yet making yogurt at home, commercial unsweetened Greek yogurt can be used. 

making moussaka

making moussaka at home

moussaka yogurt bechamel

ASSEMBLE
24.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese over the baked potato.
25.  Lay one tray of baked eggplant slices on top of the potato.
26.  Pour the meat sauce over the eggplant layer and spread to sides.

making moussaka

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homemade moussaka recipe