Pumpkin Moussaka
After doing this poll on Instagram, it seemed like I had a lot of people interested in the recipe for this twist on a Greek comfort food classic: moussaka. The pumpkin moussaka let’s you travel a little to Greece all the while keeping up this Autumn feeling that pumpkins give us every year.
And without further ado, here is the recipe!
What do you need? (4 big servings)
Meat sauce:
4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
500g butternut (about half) or regular pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
500g mixed minced meat (can be vegetarian alternative also)
400g or a can of cubed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Olive oil
1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and dried oregano
250g sliced mushrooms
125ml chicken stock (or a cube and 125ml water)
For the béchamel:
A handful of parmesan, grated
600ml milk
75g butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tsp ground cumin
What do you need to do?
Cook the onion with some olive oil in a pan until translucent about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon and oregano and cook until fragrant. Add the meat and cook until browning, stirring it around the pan with the onion and spices. Then add the mushrooms, cook for 3-5minutes and finish off with the tomatoes and chicken stock. Leave to simmer until the liquids have reduced by at least half.
Make the béchamel. Start off by melting the butter and once melted, whisk in the flour until is becomes a “roux”. Add the milk little by little all the while whisking well. Towards the end, add the parmesan and cumin and whisk until melted. The sauce should have a thick consistency.
Build your moussaka. In an oven dish, spread half the meat mixture in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of pumpkin and then a layer of potatoes. Repeat. You should have enough for 2 layers at least, depending on the size of your dish. Top everything off with the béchamel and cover with aluminium foil. Pop into an oven at 200°C for 30minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and leave in for another 10 minutes or until the béchamel is golden.
