Eggplant And Lamb Moussaka Towers With Mashed Potatoes

Eggplant is one of the most delicious, versatile ingredients out there. Many classic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes use eggplants stuffed with ground beef, but in this recipe we're adding a twist! We're taking the traditional Greek moussaka and elevating it with ground lamb and a creamy cheese sauce, making tasty towers of savory eggplant goodness. We're even going the extra mile and topping it off with a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan for that extra light, crispy texture. But the best is yet to come – our stuffed eggplant towers are served with the smoothest, creamiest mashed potatoes you've ever tasted! 

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the mashed potatoes:

  • 1 lb potatoes
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • ½ stick butter
  • salt & nutmeg to taste

For the eggplant towers & lamb sauce:

  • 4 large eggplants
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped oregano
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • ⅓ cup red wine
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes

For the cheese sauce:

  • ½ stick butter
  • ⅔ cup flour
  • 1⅔ cups whole milk
  • 1 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 tsp salt

For the crispy topping:

  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Here's How:

1. Peel the potatoes and bring them to a boil in salted water. Cook the potatoes until soft, then drain and mash them while they're still hot. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, pour it over the potatoes, stir in the butter, and season with salt and nutmeg. Stir everything together until smooth and then set the mashed potatoes aside for later. For the eggplant towers, cut both ends off of the eggplants, place them upright on a cutting board, and core them with a melon baller. Brush olive oil over the insides and outsides of the eggplants and set aside for later.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. To prepare the lamb sauce, brown the ground lamb in some olive oil, add the onion and garlic, and let simmer briefly. Stir in the paprika, cinnamon, mint, salt, pepper, and tomato paste, then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Once the wine has reduced slightly, add the crushed tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the flour gradually. Pour in the milk and let everything come to a boil. Stir the grated parmesan into the mixture and season with salt to taste. Next, assemble the eggplant towers. Fill the cored eggplants with lamb sauce and spread about 1 tablespoon of cheese sauce on top of each tower. For the crispy topping, mix the bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, and olive oil together and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the topping on top of each eggplant.

4. Spread the mashed potatoes from Step #1 over the bottom of a casserole dish and place the stuffed eggplants upright in the mashed potatoes. Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

Serve your eggplant moussaka towers with the creamy, delicious mashed potatoes they were baked with and sprinkle a generous portion of fresh parsley on top. This recipe is just one of the many ways to use eggplant, but it towers over all the rest!  

Get the recipe for the Moussaka Eggplant Casserole featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty