Midweek Meal: This healthy moussaka recipe is just what we need

This past Bank Holiday Weekend we indulged in our fair share of Easter Eggs, sweet treats and yummy food — and it was glorious! Easter only comes around once a year so you might as well treat yourself and forget the calories for a few days.

However, now that the season has come and gone, we’re feeling a little bit sluggish and actually crave a good hearty meal full of flavourful nutrients. That’s exactly why we’re loving this low-fat moussaka recipe which has quickly become our new favourite midweek meal!

This healthy spin on a traditional Greek dish makes it wonderfully nutritious and delicious. Not forgetting of course that it’s so very quick and easy to put together — even an amateur chef could master this dish in no time at all.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:
Cooking oil spray (light if possible)

200g peppers, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

200g extra-lean minced beef

100g red lentils

2 tsp dried oregano, plus extra for sprinkling

500ml passata

1 aubergine, sliced into 1½ cm rounds

4 tomatoes, sliced into 1cm rounds

2 tsp olive oil

25g parmesan, finely grated

170g 0% fat Greek yogurt

Freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4.

Set a baking dish aside.

In a non-stick pan with a light spray of cooking oil spray, cook the peppers for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then add the beef, breaking it up until brown.

Add in the lentils, half the oregano, the passata and a splash of water.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender, adding more water if needed.

Place the aubergine and tomato slices on a separate non-stick baking tray and mix with the oil.

Sprinkle with the remaining oregano, some salt and pepper then cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

Heat the grill to medium.

In a bowl, mix half the parmesan cheese with the yoghurt and some seasoning.

Now it’s time to assemble. Spoon in the beef mixture into the baking dish which you set aside earlier.

Remove the cooked aubergine and tomato from the oven and add on top of the beef.

Spoon over the yoghurt topping and sprinkle with the extra oregano, parmesan and nutmeg.

Grill for 3-4 minutes until bubbling.

Serve with a salad, if you wish.