April 19 2018 recipe by Jill Wallentin![Jill Wallentin]()
, photo by , nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE![Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE]()
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal
, photo by , nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal Low carb moussaka
Our low carb version of this Greek classic is juicy, cheesy, packed with vegetables and way quicker and easier to prepare than the original. Even the Greek gods would lick their fingers after savoring this hearty meal.
USMetric
servingservings
Ingredients
- 1 lb 450 g eggplant
- ¼ cup 60 ml olive oil
- 1 (4 oz.) 1 (110 g) yellow onion, choppedyellow onions, chopped
- 2 2 garlic clove, choppedgarlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1¼ lbs 550 g ground chicken, or any other ground meat
- ½ cup 120 ml tomato sauce
Cheese sauce
- ½ cup 120 ml heavy whipping cream
- 3 oz. (6 tbsp) 85 g (90 ml) cream cheese
- 1 1 garlic clove, pressedgarlic cloves, pressed
- ¼ tsp ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups (8 oz.) 475 ml (230 g) shredded Gouda cheese, divided
- ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Serving
- 3 oz. (1½ cups) 85 g (350 ml) leafy greens (optional)
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Making low carb simple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Chop the eggplant into roughly 1/2-inch (1x1 cm) cubes. There's no need to peel it. In a large frying pan, fry eggplant in olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the yellow onion, garlic, ground cinnamon, paprika powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until the onion and eggplant start to soften and brown.
- Add the ground chicken and fry until cooked through. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine the heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, garlic, salt, and half the Gouda cheese (save the other half for later). Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. Add ground nutmeg if you're using any, and stir well.
- Transfer the ground chicken to a large baking dish or several small ones. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle over the remaining Gouda cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese turns golden. Serve with leafy greens.
85 comments
Different meats yield different amounts of grease. The choice to drain the excess or not is always up to you!
All of our recipes have the full nutrition information in the Nutrition+ tab under the list of ingredients.
We don't recommend tracking or restricting calories. Here's why.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/calories
This is one of our moderate low carb recipes. The carbs come from the eggplant, onion, garlic, tomato, cheese, cream, and spices.
I am glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
Zucchini would be a nice sub. You might need to drain the moisture a bit either by salting after you dice and letting it sit for 10-15 min or draining the pan after sautéing (after step 2 before the onion & spices) or both. Zucchini can have quite a bit of water. Cauliflower or green beans might also make good alternatives.
Fantastic! I am glad you enjoyed this dish so much.
Sure! Some say it tastes even better the next day!
This is an egg free recipe. The sauce that's included is a little different from our bechamel recipe. You can view that recipe at this link if you would like to compare.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/gluten-free-bechamel-sauce
Thanks for your feedback!
So glad you love it, Melody! Don't forget that you can try our membership for 30 days for free! https://www.dietdoctor.com/new-member
The full nutrition information has been a benefit of Diet Doctor Plus for about a year now. You can try Diet Doctor Plus with a 30 day free trial.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/new-member