Greek Lamb Musaka with Goat Cheese (Keto Friendly)
Layers of tender eggplant, and rich, spiced grass-fed lamb topped with a layer of béchamel sauce made with goat cheese. Our lamb musaka is a take on the classic Greek Moussaka recipe, and with a little planning, it can be made ahead and feed a household for multiple meals for days. Chef Alan’s recipe is a slight variation on the classic, incorporating goat cheese into the bechamel topping as an homage to lamb and goat.
What is Moussaka?
A classic dish from the middle east made famous in Greek Cuisine, moussaka is a bit like lasagna, and rest assured, If you like one, you’ll like the other. The methods for making both are similar, but instead of pasta, the moussaka uses thinly sliced eggplant, but potatoes, or even both can also be used for a different flavor.
Another difference is that moussaka has a richly spiced lamb and tomato sauce, ours includes a combination of black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne and allspice. The cayenne can be omitted if spicy food isn’t your thing, but the amount in the dish is very modest, and would be fine to serve to children and adults.
Keto Moussaka
As Moussaka is essentially cheese sauce, meat and eggplant, it’s a relatively good choice if your own a ketogenic diet. That said, there’s still some sugar in milk used to make the bechamel, so if you look at the ingredients and wonder if you could make it without the milk, you can, and it can be good. Here’s what to do: skip making the white sauce and crumble over soft goat cheese instead. You’ll need at least 1 lb to cover the pan. Don’t substitute feta cheese as it’s too salty.
How to Make Lamb Musaka Step by Step
It’s not difficult to make moussaka but, like lasagna, there are a few steps. The images below describe the process.
This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com.
Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.
More Mediterranean Lamb Recipes
Lamb Scallopini with Wild Mushrooms
Greek Lamb Musaka with Goat Cheese (Keto Friendly)
Equipment
- 13x9 baking dish, or similar
- 1 2 quart sauce pot for the bechamel
- 1 Stew pot for the meat sauce
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 lbs ground lamb or goat
- 1 large yellow onion diced small
- 2 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons lamb fat or cooking oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
Spices
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Eggplants
- 3 medium to large sized eggplants about 3 lbs total
- Cooking olive oil enough to grease the eggplants lightly
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Goat Cheese Bechamel
- 1 stick + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 cups whole milk
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups soft chevre goat cheese
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Ground Meat Sauce
- Sweat the garlic in the oil until lightly browned, then add the onion and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground lamb, salt, spices and cook for a few minutes more, then deglaze with the wine, reduce by half, add the tomato puree and simmer for 25 minutes on low heat. Allow the sauce to chill uncovered. The meat sauce can be made a day ahead of time.
Goat Cheese Bechamel Sauce
- Melt the butter in a saucepan with high sides then add the flour and cook for a minute stirring occasionally. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, whisking well after each addition. When all the flour has been added, simmer the bechamel on low-medium heat for 10 minutes, whisking here and there to make sure it’s smooth.
- When the bechamel is nice and thick, whisk in the cheese, then season to taste with the nutmeg, salt and lemon zest. Allow the mixture to cool for a bit, covered, then, when it isn’t hot enough to cook eggs (roughly 110 F) whisk in the egg yolks. Reserve the bechamel, but don’t chill it.
Eggplant
- For the eggplant, cut the eggplants into ½ inch rounds. Oil the rounds then season with salt and pepper. Bake the rounds on cookie sheets or sheet trays at 375 F until lightly browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. You may have to work in batches. Cool the eggplant slices.
Assembling the Dish
- Take a baking dish, grease it, and line completely with a layer of eggplant, then spoon over the meat sauce. Top the ground meat sauce with another layer of remaining eggplant slices, then top with béchamel and bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Turn the heat up during the last few minutes if you need to get the top quickly golden brown, but be careful not to burn it.
- From here, the moussaka can be served and cut into squares after resting for 15 minutes, but it’s better to make ahead, as it firms up so you can cut perfect slices and, while also allowing the flavors to meld.