Ratatouille Moussaka

Serves 6


600g red capsicum
1kg eggplant
500g zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g lean beef mince
800g canned tomatoes
1tsp dried oregano
2C skim milk
2Tbsp margarine
40g plain flour
1/8tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
45g multigrain breadcrumbs
3Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2Tbsp grated low fat cheddar cheese


1. Preheat grill on medium. Deseed and quarter capsicum and cut eggplant & zucchini lengthways into 1cm slices, so they are in long sheets not rounds. Line a baking tray with foil.


2. Spray a large frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-low heat. Add onion & garlic and cook, stirring, for 7 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add mince and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes or until browned. Add tomatoes & oregano and bring to the boil. Lower heat back to medium-low and cook, simmering, for 30 minutes or until thickened.


3. Meanwhile, place capsicum skin side up on the lined baking tray and place under grill for 6 minutes, or until blackened and blistered. Transfer to a plastic bag and set aside for 5 minutes to soften the skins. When cool, peel and halve lengthways. Grill zucchini and eggplant in 3 batches for 4 minutes each side and transfer to a plate.


4. While vegetables are grilling, make bechamel sauce by heating milk in a saucepan or the microwave until simmering. In another saucepan over medium-low heat melt margarine, remove from heat and stir in flour. Place back over heat and cook, stirring for 1 minute or until bubbling. Take off heat, gradually pour in the simmering milk and whisk until smooth. Put back onto the heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and comes to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add nutmeg, allow to cool and then mix in egg.


5. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 12C capacity baking dish with olive oil spray. Combine breadcrumbs and cheeses.


6. Cover base with half of eggplant, followed by all of the zucchini. Spread over half of the meat sauce and top with the rest of the eggplant, followed by all of the capsicum. Spread over remaining meat sauce and finish with bechamel sauce. Top with breadcrumb mixture.


7. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until set and golden. Set aside for 5 minutes before serving.


To Freeze:

At end of Step 6, wrap the whole baking dish in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of foil and chill for 4 hours in the fridge. Label, date and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat thaw in the fridge overnight, remove plastic wrap and foil and bake in oven as per recipe. Cooking time may need to be increased if not completely thawed. Alternatively, defrost and heat in microwave as needed.


Nutrition Information: (per serve)

Energy 1638kJ, Protein 31.3g, Fat (Total) 14.4g (Saturated) 4.4g, Carbohydrates (Total) 29.9g (Sugars) 19.8g, Dietary Fibre 8.7g, Sodium 285.2mg. 6.6 serves of Vegetables.


(Adapted from: Australian Good Taste, Volume 12 Number 9 - September 2007)


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