Beef Moussaka

Ingredients

• Eggplant

  Raw

  1 eggplant, unpeeled (approx 1-1/4 lb) or 548g

• Onions

  Raw

  ½ large or 75g

• Garlic

  Raw

  1 cloves, minced or 3g

• Cinnamon

  Spices, ground

  ¼ tsp or 0.6g

• Allspice

  Spices, ground

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Oregano

  Spices, dried

  ½ tsp, ground or 0.9g

• Ground beef

  80% lean meat / 20% fat, raw

  16 oz or 454g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  2 tbsp or 32g

• Cottage cheese

  Creamed, large or small curd

  1 cup, small curd (not packed) or 225g

• Mozzarella cheese

  Whole milk

  ½ cup, shredded or 56g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a square (8in) baking dish with non stick spray and place eggplant on the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet (sprayed with non stick cooking spray) heat the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, allspice, cinnamon and dried oregano and mix to incorporate with meat. Cook for about 5-10 more minutes or until beef is browned.
3. Spoon the meat over the eggplant. Using a food processor, puree the cottage cheese. Spoon the puree onto the moussaka, top with shredded mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes (or until cheese on top is golden brown).