Low Carb Moussaka

I have been curious about a Greek dish called Moussaka ever since I saw the lovely Rosa post it on our mutual Facebook cooking group. Rosa makes the most delicious looking food and she is the sweetest person. She is always cooking for her adorable grandchildren and you can tell that everything is made with love. My boys laugh at me when I tell them that love is the secret ingredient to every good dish but it is true! I could taste the love my mother kneaded into her bread or rolled into her pastry. My mother was an awesome mother and grandmother, I sense that Rosa is a lot like this, I hope that I am also.
Moussaka is made with eggplant which is relatively high in carbs but it is also high in fibre so we can deduct the non digestible fibre content from the dish. The tomatoes also add a lot of carbs, so pick your can of tomatoes wisely; read the label and choose the lowest carb count you can find. I bought whole plum tomatoes in the can and chopped them up myself. Moussaka usually has wine in it but I replaced the wine with water and liquid chicken flavoured Bovril because I do not drink alcohol, it causes inflammation, and wine has added carbs which I do not need.

Low Carb Moussaka

Low Carb Moussaka

Recipe

Eggplant

3 pounds of eggplant, trimmed weight

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Trim eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch rounds. Lay on a sheet of parchment and salt both sides. Let sit for 30-45 minutes so the water seeps from the eggplant. Wipe away the moisture with a paper towel and brush with olive oil. Roast in oven on a parchment lined baking sheet, in a single layer for approximately 15-20 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven and cool.

Meat Mixture

1 medium onion (200 grams) finely chopped.

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb or veal

1-28 ounce can plum tomatoes, diced

2 teaspoons liquid chicken Bovril

3/4 Cup hot water

1 Tablespoon oregano

1 Tablespoon basil

1 egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in large frying pan.

Add onions and minced garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add meat and cook until browned. Remove excess liquid from pan. Add the tomatoes, oregano and basil. Dissolve the liquid bovril into the hot water stirring until well mixed and add to the meat mixture. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until all excess liquid is gone. Pour off any excess liquid remaining. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Let cool and then stir in the beaten egg.

Béchamel

1/2 Cup butter
1-2 teaspoons Guar gum

1 1/2 Cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 Cups warm water

200 grams of old cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a medium size sauce pan melt the butter. Add the guar gum powder and cook for about 1 minute, Mix the cream with the water and then pour into the pan. Stirring constantly, bring to a small boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once it thickens, remove from heat and stir in cheese. Stir until melted and add nutmeg.

Additional ingredients

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 15x10 inch glass pyrex dish with cooking spray.

Line bottom of pan with half the roasted eggplant

Top with half on the meat mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Repeat layers, Eggplant, meat, Parmesan.

Pour Béchamel sauce over top, sprinkle with last 1/2 Cup of Parmesan and the 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Bake for 30-45 minutes. Broil under broiler for a few minutes to brown top if necessary. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 12 servings each with approximately 8.5 net carbs.

We served with a salad on the side.

This can be frozen.
Freeze in individual portion size and just thaw, reheat in microwave and enjoy!