Mighty Good Moussaka

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 medium zucchini
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 large ripe tomato, cut into pieces
• 1 banana peppers or 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon beau monde seasoning
• 1 tablespoon honey
• pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano (dried)
• 10 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup 2% fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup marsala wine
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (use imported) or 1/4 cup romano cheese (use imported)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Recipe

• 1 peel the zucchini and slice into 1/2-inch rounds.
• 2 heat a skillet and spray with the veggie oil.
• 3 quickly brown the zucchini slices on both sides, spray with oil as necessary arrange half the zucchini slices in an oiled 9x12x2-inch baking dish.
• 4 heat the olive oil in the same skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. add meat, stir to break up any lumps, and cook for about 5 minutes.
• 5 in a saucepan heat the tomato sauce, tomato pieces, bay leaf, beau monde, honey, oregano, chili pepper and black pepper. simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• 6 meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat a little oil and brown the mushrooms, then add them to the meat and mix well.
• 7 pour all of the meat mixture over the zucchini slices. top with cinnamon, allspice and cottage cheese. cover with remaining zucchini slices, then the tomato sauce and wine.
• 8 sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 1 hour in a 350°f oven.
• 9 remove from oven, sprinkle with the parsley, serve.