Moussaka Pasta Toss

KelBel's Note:

From RachaelRay.com. Rachael made this on her show and I thought it looked great. This makes a large pot of pasta, great for potluck or company.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb penne rigate
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 4 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 large onion , chopped
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 2 pinches cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and black pepper
• 1 small eggplant , half-peeled and chopped into small dice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 -2 ½ cups milk
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup fresh parsley , chopped
• ½ cup parmigiano , grated

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot water to a boil, salt it and cook pasta to al dente.
2. Preheat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with oil. Add the lamb and cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes; breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Add in the garlic and chopped onions, season with allspice, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another couple of minutes while you chop eggplant.
4. Peel off half the skin of the eggplant. Chop the eggplant into a very small dice. Add the eggplant to the lamb and cook until it becomes soft, about 8-10 minutes.
5. In a saucepot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute then whisk in the milk and thicken, about 5 minutes. Bring this mixture up to a bubble and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Add this béchamel into the meat skillet and stir to combine.
7. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet, giving it a toss to mix everything up.
8. Add the chopped parsley and grated cheese, and stir to combine.

Reviews

[TexasKelly]

Hubby & I loved this recipe. I did make one change- I went to 3 grocery stores and none of them had ground lamb, so I used Italian Sausage. I think it tasted ok, however if I had to sub next time, I would probably just use ground beef- I think the flavors of the spices would meld better with that than the sausage. So I stuck to the recipe for everything else, only cutting it in half and we really enjoyed it. I will keep this recipe to make again for sure. Thanks for posting it.

[Karen Elizabeth]

What a super recipe, easy to make, saucy and meaty and full of flavour, my family very much enjoyed this. I made my white sauce in the microwave, as this is how I generally do it, and since my family really don't like eggplant, (and they're grown-up and recognise an eggplant in the kitchen when they see it), I finally diced some garlic button mushrooms that I had in the fridge, that I think complemented the dish well. The spices are pleasant and not at all strong, all in all it was a flavoursome hearty dish, and thank you for an interesting twist on a classic dish!

[Ang11002]

I really enjoyed this. It was my first time cooking w/ lamb and eggplant. Moussaka is one of my favorite dishes but it has always intimidated me. Not anymore! This was a great simple version of it. Thanks! Even my 6 yr old loved it which was a plus for me!