Slice of Armenian butternut squash moussaka on a plate with a fork
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Squash Moussaka

Squash Moussaka is a traditional Armenian recipe for a classic moussaka of baked squash slices with a spiced meat filling topped with more squash slices and cheese. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Armenian version of: Squash Moussaka.

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

125 minutes

Serves:

8

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Spice RecipesBeef RecipesVegetable RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesArmenia Recipes

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Ingredients:

3 butternut squash (not too large)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
45g pine nuts
675g minced beef
1 1/2 tbsp tomato purée
60ml beef stock
1 large, ripe, tomato, chopped
60g dried apricots, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
5 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
250ml milk
2 tbsp plain flour
salt and white pepper, to taste
50g dry breadcrumbs
50g Kefalotiri cheese (or use Harvati or Gruyère)

Method:

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Butter a large baking tray and arrange the squash on this, cut side down. Place in an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for about 60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. Remove the squash and when cool enough to handle peel. Cut the flesh in to slices about 6mm thick and set aside.

Add the oil to a pan and use to fry the onions and pine nuts, stirring continually, until the onion is soft but not coloured (about 8 minutes). Add the beef and continue frying until well browned. Drain any excess fat from the pan (but leave about 1 tbsp). Add the apricots to a pan then whisk the tomato purée into the beef stock and add this to the pan along with the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer then take off the heat and add the spices and parsley. Season to taste then set aside.

Butter a large baking dish (about 35 x 22 x 5cm) and arrange half the squash slices in an overlapping layer on the base. Season with salt and dot with 3 tbsp of the butter. Spread the meat mixture over the top, smoothing it down. Layer the remaining squash on top then transfer to the oven (still at 160°C) and bake for 30 minutes.

Now prepare the white sauce. Add the milk to a pan and scald (heat to just below the boiling point). In another pan heat the remaining butter until just melted then add the flour and cook, stirring continually, for 2 minutes or until cooked. Take off the heat then gradually add the milk, whisking all the while, until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and black pepper then return to the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C. Pour the white sauce over the top of the moussaka then sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the cheese over everything. Return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the topping is a golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.