Greek Keto Moussaka With Eggplant & Yellow Squash

This delicious Greek keto moussaka has sliced eggplants and yellow squash, a hearty ground beef ragù sauce, and a rich cheese sauce. Tweaked to be very low carb, it has all the flavor of the traditional, famous Greek casserole and will leave you satisfied wanting more!

A pan with keto moussaka and two serving utensils, a plate with one piece and a fork and partial view of another plate with moussaka.

Overview

What Is Moussaka?

The king of Greek comfort food is moussaka. It is a rich casserole with layers of crispy but buttery potatoes, eggplants, a ground beef sauce, and velvety thick bechamel sauce.

Moussaka is a treat to eat and has never been on the list of low-carb foods. Until now, that is!

A white baking pan with keto moussaka, a cloth napkin on a white wooden table.

Ingredients

This keto moussaka recipe has layers of sliced eggplant and yellow squash.

The traditional hearty ground beef ragù sauce has added cubed pancetta for more depth of flavor. There are no tomatoes or tomato paste in the meat sauce to keep the carb count low.

Ingredients for keto moussaka. Ground beef, eggplants, yellow squash, a bowl with cubed pancetta, a bowl with heavy cream, a bowl with cheese, a cup of broth, a cup of cream cheese and a small cutting board with spices, all on a butcher block.

The bechamel is replaced with a cheese sauce, simple to make and very similar in taste. Heavy cream is the base, with nutty grated gruyere cheese, cream cheese for smoothness, ground nutmeg for warmth, and minced garlic, because everything is better with it in it ;-).

This recipe yields 10 grams of net carbs per serving*.

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

A green colander with eggplant slices in a white bowl on a butcher block.

The Process

First prepare your vegetables.

After you slice the eggplants, place them in a colander and sprinkle some salt all over. Let them sweat while you prepare and roast the squash.

Slice the squash and arrange it on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Season with sea salt and pepper and cook in the 350° F oven for about 15 minutes.

Two baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. Top sheet has slices of roasted yellow squash, bottom sheet has slices of roasted eggplant.

After the squash is done, transfer it to a plate.

Add the eggplant slices to the baking sheets. Season just freshly ground pepper and sprinkle olive oil all over. Don’t add any salt. Roast for 15 -20 minutes.

A black skillet with sautéed diced onions, garlic and cubed pancetta. Two bay leaves and a cinnamon stick.

Time for the ground beef ragù sauce.

In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. In medium heat, add the onions, season with a pinch of salt. After 2-3 min add the garlic and pancetta. Stir well—season with another pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and 1 tablespoon of dry oregano. Add 1-2 pinches of chili flakes, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick. Stir well.

A black skillet with sautéed ground beef, diced onions, garlic and cubed pancetta. Two bay leaves and a cinnamon stick.

Add all the ground meat. Break it into smaller pieces as it sautés. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and 1 tsp ground nutmeg. Brown meat well all over.

Add ½ cup of broth and simmer until the meat sauce is fully cooked about 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350° F / 180°C

Time to layer.

Save 1/3 of the grated parmesan for later.

Sprinkle some grated parmesan to the bottom of the baking pan. Next, add a layer of eggplant slices. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese all over. (Image 1)

Next, add a layer of squash slices. (Image 2) Sprinkle with grated cheese and add another layer of eggplant. Again, sprinkle a generous amount of grated parmesan.

Repeat layer process one more time as before.

Four images. Top left a white baking pan with layered eggplant slices and grated cheese. Top right, a white baking pan with layers yellow squash and grated cheese. Bottom left, the baking pan with meat sauce and grated cheese. Bottom right, the pan with keto cheese sauce and grated cheese.

Add the meat sauce on top. Spread evenly. Add grated parmesan. (Image 3) Set aside.

Make the keto cheesy sauce.

In a saucepan, mix the ingredients for the cheese sauce and simmer while stirring for a few minutes until it thickens. Add ground nutmeg if you’re using any, and stir well.

Add the cheese sauce evenly all over the meat. Sprinkle the saved 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese and season with chili flakes and freshly ground pepper. (Image 4)

Your casserole is ready to go in the oven.

Bake for 30 min until it has a nice golden color on the top. Enjoy!

A white baking pan with moussaka, a cloth napkin on a white wooden table.

Tips

If you don’t have stock, use a bouillon cube and 1/2 cup water. You should adjust the salt; bouillon cubes can be very salty.
Some alternatives for the meat.
- You can mix equal parts of ground beef and pork or ground sausage.
- Are you a vegetarian or can’t find any ground beef or pork at your grocery store, and all that is left is vegan meat? Then, check out this vegetarian moussaka recipe a try. It is made with Beyond Beef, which has 3g of net carbs, 18g of fat, and 20g of protein per 4 oz. This vegan ground meat will work great in this keto moussaka recipe.

Helpful Q&A

Is moussaka healthy?

Traditional moussaka – a combination of potatoes, eggplants, ground beef, and bechamel is definitely a rich, highly caloric dish. Having said that, a piece of moussaka cooked from scratch with fresh, good quality ingredients and extra virgin olive oil is a much healthier choice than a sandwich with highly processed white bread, deli meat, and dubious cheese.
Additionally, this keto moussaka recipe has 10 grams of net carbs*, has a low glycemic index, and great ingredients. Paired with a big green salad, it is a perfectly healthy meal compliant with a low-carb lifestyle.

Do I need to salt the eggplant first?

It depends. Eggplants can be quite bitter, and salting helps cut the bitterness. The salt hides the bitter taste. I find it brings out the sweetness of the vegetable. Also, salt draws out excess moisture and makes the texture of the eggplant silky and creamy. If you are sure your eggplants are super fresh, you can probably skip the salt.

*Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.