Healthiest version of Greek moussaka

This alternative version of the traditional Greek moussaka becomes as light as possible by baking the vegetables instead of frying them, but also replacing the „obligatory“ bechamel with a yoghurt sauce. However, it turned out that my idea was not so authentic or original: not long ago in a restaurant in Nafplio, they insisted that I should try their homemade moussaka, explaining that their recipe is much lighter… by substituting the bechamel in the same way. At least, I was happy to confirm that I have a good Hellenic instinct to experiment with the recipe!

The steps of the preparation

1. The bottom layer of vegetables

Cut the aubergines into thin slices. Salt them generously and set aside for at least half an hour to allow some of the moisture to drain. After that, dry the excess water with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut an onion into julienne and the potatoes and courgettes into thin slices. Spread all the vegetables along a tray, salt and dress with olive oil. Bake for 30-40, until the vegetables are well cooked.

2. The middle layer

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan without letting it smoke. Chop the onion and the garlic clove and sauté them over moderate heat. Add tomato paste and ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, cinnamon, and a little cumin. Stir occasionally and cook until the meat is done and the moisture of the tomato has mostly evaporated, which will be after about 15-10 minutes.

3. The top layer

Mix the yogurt and an egg in a bowl until integrated. Add two tablespoons of this sauce to the meat and reserve the rest.

4. The lay out of the moussaka

In deep enough square or rectangular form for oven, arrange all the vegetables compactly as the first layer and season with thyme (or oregano if not available). Continue with the meat preparation as a second layer, covering the yoghurt sauce last. Finish by sprinkling the grated cheese on top.

Lower the temperature of the oven to 180 degrees and bake for around 20 minutes, depending on how golden we like the cheese gratin. Let cool before cutting and serving, to prevent the moussaka from falling apart. This waiting time can extend for at least half an hour.

Tips and tricks:

1. As in other already posted recipes with aubergines, the first step of salting them is not mandatory but recommended, since in this way we get rid of their characteristic bitter taste.
2. The moussaka is a recipe for use, therefore we can vary the quantities and proportions of vegetables according to availability.
3. Baking times can vary not only according to each oven, but also to how thin we cut the vegetable slices. In particular, I recommend not cutting the potato very thick, since it is the hardest ingredient and therefore, the one that takes the longest to bake.
4. I’d like to insist that waiting before cutting and serving portions is very important, so that the moussaka can settle and not completely fall apart.