Paleo Moussaka

A rich British lamb ragù layered with fried aubergine, and a creamy cauliflower “béchamel” sauce. My go-to recipe for those rainy days in London.

Moussaka is a very popular traditional Greek dish!

It is basically an eggplant casserole. Traditionally it is made with aubergines (eggplants), potatoes, a rich tomatoey lamb mince sauce and topped off with a béchamel sauce that has dairy and gluten in it.

I have been seeing this dish a lot on my instagram feed. Unfortunately, most recipes are not paleo friendly due to the potatoes and the béchamel sauce. I have been dying to make a paleo version and I finally had time to do so.

This recipe calls for 4 main steps but this dish is worth the effort that goes into it. This dish is bursting with flavour, from the juicy lamb mince, to the sweet eggplants and the creamy baked sauce on top. The cinnamon and paprika work wonderful with the lamb and eggplant.

It is the perfect comforting dish. It also gets better as it sits in the fridge and the flavours develop. This is a great go-to meal prep dish as well. Simply cut into portion sizes and freeze.

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paleo moussaka

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggplants

• olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 650g minced lamb (can substitute for minced beef)

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 300ml beef bone broth

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1 head of cauliflower (about 3 cups), cut up

• 1 egg

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

INSRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/375f.

2. Slice the eggplant into 1-cm rounds. Season with salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and leave for 30 minutes. This draws out excess moisture and stops the eggplant becoming bitter and watery.

3. While you are waiting for the eggplant, you can make the lamb filling. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Add the ground lamb, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with the salt, paprika, and cinnamon and let the meat brown on all sides. Once browned, take out of the pan and set aside.

4. In the same pan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the meat back into the pan, with tomato paste and the bone broth. Mix everything together, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the filling because thicker and most of the broth has evaporated. Set aside.

5. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towel. Cook the eggplant in batches in a frying pan over medium high heat until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

6. Alternatively you can coat the eggplant wit a bit of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a single layer (slices can touch each other a bit for more room) and roast for approx. 30 mins. until cooked and golden, flipping half-way.

7. To make the "béchamel" sauce, add chopped up cauliflower to a pot of water and bring to a boil. The cauliflower is done when it’s tender when pricked with a fork. Drain and let cool.

8. Pour half the can of the coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix the arrowroot with the remaining coconut milk until combined. When the milk has boiled, turn the heat down to low and whisk in the coconut and arrowroot mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

9. Add the cauliflower, coconut milk mixture, salt and pepper, and egg to a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Make sure each component is not too hot so it doesn't cook the egg.

10. Now that you have all of your components, it's time to assemble your moussaka (shown below)

11. I used a 9 x 9 baking pan but had left over cauliflower sauce.

12. In desired baking dish, lay half the eggplant slices in a single layer. then pour on the mince mixture. Add the remaining eggplant slices then sprinkle over the parsley. Finally, pour over the cauliflower white sauce making sure it spreads evenly over the top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.