Greek Zucchini Moussaka

Steps to make

1. 1

   Preheat oven and prepare baking dish

   1 min
   

   Preheat the oven to 350 °F and grease a 12x8-inch baking dish with some olive oil.

2. 2

   Cook onions

   4 min
   

   In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 1 diced sweet onion. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, while stirring, until soft and translucent.

4. 3

   Add garlic

   1 min
   

   Add 2-4 cloves of minced garlic, stir and cook for another minute.

5. 4

   Add ground beef

   10 min
   

   Add 1½ pounds of ground beef and use a wooden spoon to crumble the meat. Cook until no longer pink.

6. 5

   Add tomato sauce and seasonings

   15 min
   

   Add 1 jar of tomato sauce, 1½ teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, ⅛ of ground clove, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix everything and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Discard the bay leaf.

7. 6

   Prepare moussaka

   5 min
   

   Prepare the moussaka by starting with layers of zucchini slices at the base of the prepared casserole dish then add a layer of the meat sauce and finally top the meat sauce with ½ cup of ricotta cheese. Repeat the layers and finish with slices of zucchini on top and sprinkle ¼ cup of ground Parmesan cheese all over.

8. 7

   Bake

   30 min
   

   Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

9. 8

   Serve

   

   Garnish with sprinkles of fresh herbs, to serve.