It’s Meatless Monday again and I have a great recipe for you! I adapted this recipe from My Recipes: Vegetarian Moussaka, and it is great! The original version yields 4 huge servings at 343 calories each, so you know you’re eating right! I cut the recipe in half and it still was plenty for me and hubby.
Eggplant Moussaka
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tbsp. EVOO, divided
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup uncooked bulgur
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup *chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium tomatoes, pureed**
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
*Since I’m not actually a vegetarian I didn’t have any problem using chicken broth in this recipe, which worked out perfectly because I had a cup of it leftover from a recipe I made last week and it was just sitting in my refrigerator, waiting to be usefull. You certainly could substitute a vegetable broth, however.
** I happened to have 2 tomatoes on their last legs so used them in place of 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained. It worked just as well, and some of the tomato bits I left chunky.
Preheat broiler. Brush eggplants slices with 1 tbsp. of EVOO, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and place on foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil for 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from broiler and set aside.
Set oven to preheat to 350*.
Heat skillet and add remaining 1 tbsp of EVOO to pan; swirl to coat. Add chopped onion to pan; saute 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic; saute 1 minutes. (I usually throw my onion and garlic into the mini food processor together, which means they cook up together. It’s never a problem.) Add bulgur; cook 3 minutes or until bulgur is lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Add cinnamon. Stir in broth, oregano, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, cook a few minutes. Whisk constantly to blend well. Gradually add milk, whisking. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese and salt. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add egg, stirring well with a whisk.
In greased baking dish (4×6) arrange half the eggplant slices on the bottom in a single layer. Spread the bulgur mixture evenly over the eggplant. Use the rest of the eggplant slices to create a second layer over the bulgur mixture. Top with the milk mixture. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Can increase heat to 475* for an additional baking time of 5 minutes, or broil until top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
