Moussaka is a popular Greek dish made with layers of vegetables, minced meat and creamy béchamel sauce. Our Keto Greek Moussaka is very close to the traditional recipe with a few low carb swaps. I first fell in love with this dish in my early 20s at a popular Greek restaurant in my city. I’m happy to be able to share this low carb version with you that is just as delicious. This is a comforting and healthy meal that the whole family will love!
Low Carb Swaps
Traditional Moussaka is made with layers of eggplant and potatoes. For our Keto Greek Moussaka, we keep the eggplant and replace the potatoes with zucchini. The zucchini is very mild and pairs well with the deep flavors in this dish. Zucchini holds a lot of moisture, so we bake the zucchini slices in the oven to draw out some of the moisture before assembling the moussaka.
Eggplants love to soak up olive oil, to save time, we bake the sliced eggplants in the oven with the zucchini. If you prefer, you can opt to pan fry the eggplant slices.
Keto Béchamel
Traditional béchamel is made by creating a roux with with flour and milk. For our Keto Greek Moussaka, we create our Keto Béchamel a little bit different than our version for our Keto Lasagna Alla Bolognese. For this recipe we combine eggs, feta cheese, full-fat plain greek yogurt and a pinch of nutmeg. Place all ingredients into a blender and evenly pour on top of the Moussaka.
The Method
To start our Keto Greek Moussaka, thinly sliced the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise so that they are about 1/2″ thick. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes. Another option is to fry the eggplant. If frying the eggplant, you’ll still want to prebake the zucchini slices to draw out the moisture.
When the vegetables are cooking, prepare the filling. Add olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the diced onions until translucent and then the minced garlic. Season with tomato paste, oregano, ground cinnamon and cloves. Finally add the ground beef, with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
To assemble the Moussaka, add a small amount of filling to the bottom of the dish and layer the sliced eggplant. This will help flavor the vegetables. Add half the amount of filling on top of the eggplant and layer the zucchini and remaining eggplant (if any). Add the remaining filling on top of the eggplant and top with the Keto Béchamel sauce. Bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown. With 15 minutes left, remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Once the Moussaka is done cooking, remove from the oven and let it cool for about 25-30 minutes.
Keto Greek Moussaka
Equipment
- 9x9 Baking Pan
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 lbs Lean Ground Beef
- 50 grams Diced Onion Approx. Half of an Onion.
- 2 Eggplants Approx. 500 grams.
- 1 Zucchini Approx. 200 grams.
- 5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced.
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt +More to Taste.
- 1/2 tsp Pepper + More to Taste.
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Ground Clove
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups Plain Greek Yogurt
- 3 Eggs
- 150 grams Feta Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
Oven Baked Vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise so that they are 1/2 thick.
- Place the zucchini and eggplant on a large baking pan, drizzle with 4 tbsp of olive oil (eggplants love to soak up the oil!). Evenly coat with salt & pepper (to taste).
- Bake the eggplant and zucchini in the oven for 20 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, prepare your filling.
Filling:
- Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Add diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add cinnamon, clove, oregano and tomato paste to the pan. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add minced ground beef, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and 1 tsp of salt. Cook until browned. Approx. 5-8 minutes.
- While the filling is cooking, assemble the topping.
Topping (Keto Béchamel Sauce):
- Place yogurt, feta cheese, eggs and nutmeg to a blender. Blend until combined.
Assemble the Moussaka:
- Before assembling the Moussaka, mix in a small amount of the béchamel sauce to the filling. This will help it stay together. I generally don't measure this, but it's approx. 3-5 tbsp.
- Lightly grease the baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, add a small amount of filling to the bottom of the pan (this will flavor our vegetables!).
- Place the first layout of eggplant to the baking dish.
- Add half the amount of the remaining filling on top of the eggplant.
- Layer the zucchini (and remaining eggplant if any) on top of the filling.
- Layer remaining filling on top of the vegetables.
- Pour the keto béchamel sauce on top of the mixture.
- Bake the Keto Moussaka for 45 minutes. When there is 15 minutes remaining, remove the moussaka and sprinkle grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Return to oven and bake for remaining 15 minutes.
- Once done cooking , remove the moussaka from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit for 25-30 minutes. We want the Moussaka to firm up. NOTE: Do not skip this step! This allows the Moussaka to set. If you cut into the dish too soon, it will fall apart.
- Serve with a simple or greek salad and enjoy!
Notes
- 423 Calories
- 10.2g Carbohydrates
- 3.4g Fiber
- 32.1g Fat
- 26.5g Protein
Let us known in the comments below if you’ve tried our Keto Greek Moussaka! Don’t forget to share and save the recipe.
