Low-Fat Moussaka

KLHquilts's Note:

I adapted this from the May 2007 issue of Cooking Light. It was a lot of work, but worth it. There's a lot of flavor without a lot of cheese and fat.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 lbs eggplants
• 1 teaspoon salt (kosher)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups onions, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup bulgur (uncooked)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (fresh, not dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (Kosher)
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk (skim)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• 2 ounces fat free feta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Prepare eggplant: Peel eggplants and slice into 1/2" slices. Lay slices on several layers of paper towels; sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoons salt. Cover with additional paper towels and let stand for about 10 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Lightly coat each slice with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoons black pepper. Arrange slices in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes at 425; take out and turn slices over, then bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Prepare meat mixture: Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add onion, garlic and ground turkey; saute 6-8 minutes, or until turkey is done. Stir in bulgur, mint, pepper, salt, allspice, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Prepare topping: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Slowly add milk, stirring with whisk until blended. Add four minced garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cooking 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with whisk. Pour milk mixture into a food processor. Add feta and nutmeg, process until smooth, then stir in yogurt.
5. Assemble: Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Place half the eggplant slices in bottom of pan, then cover with half the meat sauce. Layer remaining eggplant slices, top with remaining meat sauce. Spoon topping mixture evenly over top. Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.

Reviews

[CorinneBird]

Amazing! I blended chicken breast and mushrooms in my food processor to use instead of ground turkey because I didn't have ground turkey on hand. I think mine may have been lighter in calories! I'm not a nutritionist though so I'm not making any implication that mine was better nutritionally, just lower in calories. But it was delicious! Soggy at first but cools into a beautiful consistency.

[Dabu]

We liked this very much. Couldn't really taste the mint, so I don't know if I'd bother including it next time. And (as always) I increased the garlic. I didn't think there'd be enough feta, but the sauce really worked out well, so I won't be increasing feta next time.

[dogbobthechef]

Excellent. I had my doubts about this, but was surprised at how flavorful it was -- and wonderfully light. I agree that it was particularly good on the second night, after the flavors had blended and aged a bit.