Eggplant Ground Turkey Moussaka

Eggplant Ground Turkey Moussaka recipe that's comforting, delicious, and perfect for feeding a crowd! With layers of tender roasted eggplant, ground turkey tomato meat sauce, creamy béchamel sauce, and parmesan cheese, there is so much delicious flavor and the textures are perfection. While it's full of cheesy, creamy goodness, this recipe can actually be easily made dairy-free! I love making this moussaka recipe for my family - it's SO good.

Course Dinner

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Baking Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings Servings

Calories 366kcal

Author Christine McMichael

Equipment

Ingredients

5 large eggplants or 6 small

Meat Sauce

1 pound ground turkey
1 cup diced red onion
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup beef bone broth
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon avocado oil
pinch sea salt and ground black pepper

Bechamel Sauce

4 cups unsweetened almond milk or regular 2% milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Topping

1/4-1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Instructions

Prep the Eggplant

Cut the ends off and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices vertically.
Season generously with salt and place in a colander for 30 minutes to extract moisture.
Tip: Feel free to start the meat sauce while the eggplant sits out!

Bake the Eggplant

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add a baking grate to your sheet pan and spray with non-stick cooking oil.
Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water and squeeze with your hands or lay between two towels and press with a baking sheet, to get rid of the excessive water.
Pat them dry, then bake for 20 minutes.
Set aside when done.

Make the Meat Sauce

Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat and add the avocado oil.
Add the onions and cook for about 2 minutes until just beginning to color.
Stir in the ground turkey, breaking it up into a crumble. Cook until just browning about 10 minutes.
When the turkey begins to brown, add the garlic and tomato paste; continue cooking until the garlic softens.
Add in the bone broth to deglaze the pan and simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf then set aside when done.

Make the Béchamel Sauce

In a large sauce pan and melt the butter over low-medium heat.
Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste.
Warm milk in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time for 1 1/2 minutes.
Add warmed milk to the pan while whisking to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy.
Turn up to medium-high heat for about 5 minutes to thicken, stirring constantly. Its consistency should resemble a thick cream.
Remove the béchamel pan from the stove and let cool for 5 minutes before quickly whisking in the egg yolks, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and grated cheese.
Take one spoon full of béchamel and stir it in the meat sauce.
Set the béchamel sauce aside.

Assemble & Bake

Coat the pan with 1 tablespoon avocado oil on the bottom and sides of a large baking dish (9x13 inch) and layer the eggplants in half.
Cover with all of the meat sauce and spread it out evenly.
Add a second layer of eggplant.
Pour all of the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
Sprinkle with 1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes or until it turns a light golden brown.
Let cool before cutting into pieces. This will prevent the béchamel sauce from running out.

Video

Notes

You can prep the eggplant the night before to balance the time this recipe takes to prepare. Store the eggplant in a container covered with paper towels, do not seal the container; you can lightly cover it with plastic wrap instead.

You can also prep the meat sauce in advance! After cooking, let it cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cook the meat tomato sauce mixture while you cook the béchamel sauce (and while the eggplant roasts). This saves so much time!

Nutrition