I am recharged and refreshed after a quick trip to warmer weather. Of course, every free minute I wasn’t blogging, I was thinking about what I was going to cook next. For some reason, all I could think of was eggplant. Stuffed Turkey Moussaka Eggplant Boats. More specifically, a rich, creamy and really flavorful tomato sauce with turkey mounded into individual eggplant boats. And thus was born Turkey Moussaka Eggplant Boats. They are topped with a delicious bechamel sauce which, with the addition of two egg yolks, puffs up to form a light and cheesy topping for the meat filling.
As good as traditional Moussaka!
Don’t get me wrong here. I love traditional Moussaka but having to make it in a large baking dish which serves enough for a large army just seemed a bit excessive. For a large crowd, a whole pan of Moussaka is just fine and dandy. But for a weeknight dinner, an individual serving of a lovely little Moussaka eggplant boat seemed like a better idea. These are also a great idea because not every family can sit down to dinner at the same time (think soccer, basketball and other after-school activities) so you can cook all the Moussaka eggplant boats at once and set aside what you need for the stragglers.
Choose your favorite protein to make this yummy dish.
You can make these stuffed Moussaka eggplant boats with turkey, beef or lamb and the recipe process is all the same. I used turkey to reduce the fat in the dish and if you want to go a step further, you can substitute 2% milk for the whole milk. There is very little oil in the dish because the eggplant is baked, not fried in oil.
What is really great about this dish is that despite its very interesting flavor profile–onions, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, tomatoes etc, it is very easy to make and everything can be made ahead. You can bake the empty eggplant shells and set them aside. You can make the meat filling and refrigerate it until ready to bake it in the shells. When you are ready to finish the eggplant boats, just whip up the bechamel, add a bit to the tomato sauce and use the rest to top the filled boats. Then all you have to do is bake the little darlings and serve them to an audience who will appreciate a change from a ho-hum dinner. Individual Greek Moussaka without an entire pan of leftovers. Please enjoy them.
Turkey Moussaka Eggplant Boats
Moussaka baked in individual eggplant shells makes serving a breeze. The rich meaty filling that has notes of cinnamon and nutmeg pairs well with the creamy topping.
Ingredients
For the Eggplant:
- 2 eggplant cut lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon salt
- cooking spray for the baking pan
For the Meat Filling:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 large yellow onion diced into small dice
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 pound ground turkey beef or lamb
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley plus more for garnish
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup water
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 ½ cups milk heated in the microwave for 1 minute
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- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 egg yolks beaten
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- 1 cup grated parmesan divided
Instructions
For the Eggplant:
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Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Salt them and let them sit in the sink to drain for 20 minutes. When the brown juices rise to the surface, wipe them with a damp paper towel.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Cut around the outside of each eggplant half, leaving a 1 inch rim around each. With a grapefruit spoon, carefully carve out the center, leaving the bottom with the 1 inch base. You want to create a boat for the filling.
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Place the shells in a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake them for 30 minutes, lightly covered with foil just resting on the top of the pan. You do not want them to steam.
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Chop the eggplant from the interior of the shells into a small dice. Set aside.
For the Meat Filling:
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While the eggplant shells are baking, heat the olive oil in large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and salt and sauté over for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the onions for 10 more minutes. Add the diced eggplant and sauté with the onions for 10 minutes until the eggplant is soft and beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook the mixture for 5 more minutes.
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Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped mint and parsley and stir. Move the onion mixture to one side of the pan and add the turkey to the empty side. Cook, stirring to break up the meat until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Stir the turkey and the onion mixture together, add the tomato paste, white wine and water. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil until the liquid is mostly gone. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan and cook the mixture for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time so it does not stick or become dry. You can add a bit more wine or water to the pan to keep the sauce from sticking.
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Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Bechamel:
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Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until pale and smooth, about 2 minutes. Still whisking constantly, add the hot milk all at once, then the nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir until thickened
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Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and add a few tablespoons of the béchamel to the bowl, whisking quickly until combined. Whisk the egg mixture into the bechamel sauce until smooth. Heat the sauce for two minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup of the parmesan cheese.
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Stir about 1/3 cup of the béchamel sauce into the meat mixure.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
To assemble:
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Spoon the meat mixture evenly into the eggplant shells, mounding it down the middle. Top the meat sauce evenly with spoonfuls of the béchamel. Lightly cover the baking dish with foil which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Don’t seal the foil around the dish. Bake the eggplant boats for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes. Top with chopped parsley and mint, if desired. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.
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