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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Moussaka Patty Melts

[heart_this] · Nov 14, 2013 · 13 Comments

Moussaka Patty Melt

Patty melts inspired by the flavours of moussaka with spiced meat patties, grilled eggplant and a tasty tomato sauce.

With the cooling weather I have been thinking about cold weather dishes more often like moussaka, a Mediterranean casserole consisting of layers of meat in a tomato sauce, eggplant and a bechamel sauce. During the summer I made some burgers inspired by moussaka and given my fascination with grilled cheese sandwiches I could not help but think that a moussaka patty melt would also be great! For this sandwich I start out with patties of ground lamb seasoned simply with a bit of garlic and cinnamon, topped with a layer of grilled eggplant, a simple and yet tasty tomato sauce and of course plenty of melted cheese! Speaking of cheese, I went with a Greek cheese, graviera, which melts well so it is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. When I made the moussaka burgers I used a bechamel sauce which is a bit to wet to go inside a grilled cheese sandwich but it does go great as a topping along with some extra tomato sauce!

Moussaka Patty Melt
Just look at all of that amazing melted cheesy goodness!

Moussaka Patty Melt

Moussaka Patty Melt

Moussaka Patty Melt

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4

Patty melts inspired by the flavours of moussaka with spiced meat patties, grilled eggplant and a tasty tomato sauce.

ingredients
    For the tomato sauce:
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup tomato (fresh or canned), pureed
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the patties:
  • 1 pound ground beef or lamb
  • 1/4 cup onion, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the patty melts:
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 small eggplant, sliced
  • 8 slices bread
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups graviera or gruyere or mozzarella, grated
directions
    For the tomato sauce:
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
  3. Add the pureed tomato, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper and simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
  4. For the patties:
  5. Mix the meat, onion, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper, form relatively thin patties and pan-fry over medium-high heat until cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side.
  6. For the patty melts:
  7. Brush the eggplant with oil and grill or pan-fry over medium-high heat (or broil) until tender, about 5 minutes.
  8. Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of half of the slices of bread followed by the patties, eggplant, 2 tablespoons tomato sauce (per sandwich), the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up.
  9. Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Option: Top with additional tomato sauce and bechamel cheese sauce (see below)
Nutrition Facts: Calories 609, Fat 36g (Saturated 18g, Trans 1g), Cholesterol 163mg, Sodium 594mg, Carbs 20g (Fiber 5g, Sugars 5g), Protein 50g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Greek Style Bechamel Cheese Sauce

Greek Style Bechamel Cheese Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 1cup

A simple bechamel sauce with the addition of the Greek graviera cheese.

ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup graviera or gruyere or mozzarella, grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
directions
  1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and cook until it turns a light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the flour and simmer until it turns a light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add the milk and simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the cheese and let it melt.
  5. Season with nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 663, Fat 49g (Saturated 31g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 146mg, Sodium 235mg, Carbs 27g (Fiber 0, Sugars 13g), Protein 27g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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Beef, Food, Greek, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Lamb, Low-carb, Recipe, Sandwich

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aimee @ Simple Bites says

    November 14, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    I love your moussaka creations, Kevin. This looks like dinner.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    November 14, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    What kind of grill do you use for making your sandwiches or what kind of pan?

    Reply
  3. kevin says

    November 14, 2013 at 8:04 pm

    Anonymous: I usually use a none-stick pan or a cast iron pan to grill sandwiches like this.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    November 14, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    Can I marry you? Seriously though, love your recipies! You should open a restaurant..!

    Reply
  5. Nancy Long says

    November 14, 2013 at 11:05 pm

    why can I no longer post your recipes to FB???

    Reply
  6. kevin says

    November 14, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    Nancy Long: How were you trying to post on Facebook? With the button Like button on my site?

    Reply
  7. Tieghan says

    November 15, 2013 at 3:29 am

    YUM! This looks so amazing, Kevin!

    Reply
  8. Anniegi says

    November 15, 2013 at 7:13 am

    oh YUM! another one to try! thank you. I LOVE eggplant &
    your recipes. thank you

    Reply
  9. CAH says

    November 15, 2013 at 11:18 am

    Oh my, Kevin. This looks insane! My Greek grandmother will only eat patty melts lately, and she would go nuts for this.

    Reply
  10. Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) says

    November 15, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    Shut. Freaking. Up.

    Reply
  11. Gaby says

    November 16, 2013 at 3:43 am

    This looks 9 kinds of wonderful!

    Reply
  12. Didi Duck says

    August 12, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    you know…you could put the bechamel on top and broil like a croque madame yummmmmmmmmmmmm

    Reply
  13. kevin says

    August 17, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    Didi Duck: Yes, that would also be great!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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