HARVEST PALEO MOUSAKKA

An autumn-inspired spin on this warming Greek-style dish.

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS:

Eggplant Layer:

• 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced

• Olive Oil Spray

• Pinch of sea salt

Meat Sauce Layer:

• 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil

• 1.5 pounds ground lamb (or beef)

• 6 fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled/seeded, and diced

• 1/2 cup dry red wine such as Norton, Merlot, or Malbec (or replace wine with bone broth)

• 1 cup beef bone broth (I use Kettle & Fire)

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cinnamon stick (or substitute 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)

• 3/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

"Bechamel" Sauce Layer:

• 1 sweet dumpling or butternut squash, halved, seeded, and pre-roasted

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk or cashew "cream cheese"

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

• 2 eggs

• Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In order to prepare the "béchamel" sauce, you will need to roast the squash. I recommend doing this first as it takes the longest to cook. This can be done in advance until you are ready to prepare the mousakka.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slice the squash in half and remove the pulp and seeds and discard. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place each half of the squash upside down onto the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.

3. Once cool, gently scoop the flesh out of the skins into a medium sized bowl and set aside or refrigerate until ready to prepare the mousakka.

4. Next, preheat the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

5. Prepare the eggplant by cutting it into 1/4 inch slices. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper and place the eggplant slices on top. Mist the eggplant lightly with olive oil spray and sprinkle lightly with salt.

6. Once the oven is preheated, place the eggplant into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the eggplant slices over and return the pan to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

7. While the eggplant is baking, begin to prepare the meat sauce.

8. In a large saucepan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the lamb. Cook the lamb over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is fully cooked and brown.

9. Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over low heat until the liquid is reduce, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard.

10. Prepare the "béchamel" sauce. Take the bowl of reserved squash and using a fork, mash into a paste. Add in the cashew milk and spices and give the mix a stir.

11. Next add in the eggs, making sure your mixture is cool first in order not to scramble your eggs. You can continue mixing everything with a fork until smooth or you can use an immersion blender or standing blender/food processor to blend the mix until smooth and creamy (which I recommend).

12. To assemble the moussaka, take a medium sized casserole dish and lightly mist with olive oil spray. Add a layer of eggplant slices, followed by half of the meat sauce, followed by half of the "béchamel" sauce. Layer one more time in the same order for two total layers, ending with the "béchamel" sauce on top.

13. Place the casserole dish back into the 400 degree F oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top begins to turn golden.

14. Remove and serve warm with a side of fresh arugula (and parmesan cheese if not dairy sensitive).