Healthier Moussaka is a delicious lower calorie version of the classic Greek dish. It’s still rich-tasting but light and healthy. Ideal if you’re weight conscious.
Hey Folks! As promised for this week there’s 2 recipe posts with suggested Valentines meal options.
Starting today with this delicious healthier Moussaka!
I love all kinds of foods from the Mediterranean and I’ve been meaning to post a healthier version of this classic for ages. One to compliment my Healthier Greek Pastitsio that I published a number of years ago.
When I was looking up the history of where Moussaka comes from I assumed it was from Greece. But it is also found in Turkey. So actually no one knows the real origin of Moussaka for sure.
Once thing we do know for sure though is that it’s absolutely delicious. I’ve kept as close to the original recipe as possible to make sure my version retains all that’s fabulous about this dish.
They say that it’s the sauce that helps to bring out all the flavours of the spices involved. So the sauce had to be perfect. But it’s also that original creamy sauce that adds the calories so I’ve made mine lighter. But still with a delicious creamy cheesy taste!
I also thought that I’d make a larger version of this healthier Moussaka recipe so that it could be an option for dinner parties or a family meal.
So the recipe serves up to 6 people. I mean sharing is caring isn’t it?
And it’s still a relatively simple Moussaka recipe to make.
So if this recipe is good enough as a Valentines day suggestion to cook for your other half, why not share it with your friends and family too?
If you have any leftover portions (doubtful) they can be frozen.
Why This Is a Healthier Moussaka
- I used lean minced ground beef instead of traditional minced ground lamb. Lamb is higher in calories and fat.
- The aubergine slices are baked in the oven rather than fried meaning less oil was used.
- No butter was used to make the cheese sauce. I substituted the butter with Greek yogurt instead.
- My lighter Moussaka calories are only 289 per portion compared to 416 in an average full fat version.
For This Moussaka Recipe You May Need….
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Equipment
- Stoneware serving dish
- Baking tray
- Saucepans
- Chopping board
- Kitchen knives
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen scale
- Measuring jug
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Grater
This is the large oven-proof baking dish I use.
It’s a great low cost but good quality baking and roasting dish.
It’s perfect for lasagne, side dishes and desserts. It’s dishwasher, freezer and oven safe too.
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Healthier Moussaka Recipe
Stuck with what to serve your healthier Moussaka recipe with? Well I opted for peas. But you could also serve with a traditional Greek salad and / or some crusty bread to make sure you mop up every last morsel from your plate!
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Healthier Moussaka
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cooking oil cooking spray
- 2 large aubergines eggplant, cut into 1/2cm slices
- Freshly grated salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 500 g lean minced ground beef
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 180 ml low fat Greek yogurt
- 100 g grated Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C.
- Line a large baking tray with foil and spray it with the olive oil spray. Arrange sliced aubergine in a single layer on the baking tray, spray with cooking spray, grate some salt over, and roast in oven for 10 minutes. Turn the sliced aubergines over and roast for a further 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, Whilst the aubergine is roasting, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes then add the meat and cook until meat is browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking it up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until thickened.
- Spray an ovenproof casserole dish with the cooking oil spray.
- Arrange half of the roasted aubergine slices in the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread the meat mixture over the aubergine slices and press down to flatten. Then cover the meat mixture with the remaining aubergine slices.
- Whisk the eggs and yogurt together and pour over the top of the moussaka. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and allow the moussaka to slightly cool and set. Cut into 6 portions and serve.
David @ Spiced
Interesting! I would’ve assumed moussaka was from Greece, too. But then again, Greek and Turkish cuisines have kinda blended together over time. No matter where it’s from, I’d be quite happy with this one. It sounds delicious! Great meal to make for Valentine’s Day!
Neil
Thanks David, I could have gone into a whole load of history about Moussaka and also it’s got so many variations. But I thought I’d keep it short!
Ron
Moussaka is a glorious dish no matter where it came from. And, as we’re always looking for ways to reduce my big blogger belly, this fits perfectly. Neil, thank for sharing a better and healthier version of moussaka.
Neil
No problems Ron, hope you enjoy! It is challening having a great love of food and writting a food blog to keep trim though isn’t it?
mimi rippee
This is so smart! Really interesting to see cumin in your list of ingredients!
Neil
I just love cumin Mimi. It’s one of those spices that I just love to open the jar and smell. Makes you feel alive!
Matt P-H
Hey Neil, I made this recipe for my family last night, really tasty and a nice low fat alternative too. Definitely one I’ll be repeating. The yogurt and eggs sauce worked really well – I shouldn’t be such a sceptic!
Neil
That’s fantastic Matt. I’m so glad you enjoyed my Healthier Moussaka. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to comment too.
Suzy Kendall
This is really really good. So tasty and the yoghurt cheese typing is genius. However, when I logged the ingredients it does come out about 60 calories more. I used 5% fat mince and low fat Greek yoghurt.
Neil
Hey Suzy, I’m so glad you enjoyed my version of Moussaka! Thanks for taking the time to make it and to comment to. 🙂
Regarding the calorie count you came to. It depends on what software / website you used to calculate the calories. The software I used is paid for software, in the recipe card which automatically calculates the calories when I add the recipe ingredients and for how many the recipe is for. If you are using a free website or something like myfitnesspal those tend to be slightly less accurate. However 60 calories more isn’t really much so I wouldn’t worry about it!
Joan Hewitt
Hi Neil. Cooked this tonight for myself and my husband. Absolutely delicious. Definately goes on our list of meals …and 4 portions for the freezer!
Neil
Hi Joan, so glad you enjoyed my Moussaka. Thanks so much for making it, and for taking the time to comment about it too! 🙂
Kathy Simpson
Hello Neil – what a great recipe. However, as is my won’t, I had to make a couple of tweaks which probably took the recipe out of the “healthier” bracket. .
I added a tbsp of flour and medium glass of red wne to your recipe but don’t think it would have tipped everything over the edge!!
Only constructive comment is that I feel the yogurt topping was very thinly spread indeed – surprisingly tasty but just not enough of it!
Thanks again for your efforts – Kathy
Neil
Thanks for making my recipe Kathy. Glad you enjoyed it! With regards to the yogurt topping, each to their own I guess. 😉