One-pot Moussaka beef rice pilaf

Here’s a great new beef mince recipe to try! Think – Greek Moussaka flavours, in risotto form in a handy one-pot recipe. Eggplant, beef, tomato, lots of garlic and oregano. Cosy. Easy. Satisfying. Utterly delicious!

One-pot Moussaka beef and rice

Think of today’s recipe as a cross between moussaka and risotto. But so much easier to make than both of them!

It channels moussaka vibes with eggplant and beef mince cooked in a red-wine tomato sauce, heavy on the garlic and oregano (Greece approves!). And it’s got the hallmarks of a great risotto, with the juicy, oozy rice. Never stodgy, never mushy.

It’s not authentic anything. But it’s very, very tasty, and a really handy one-pot meal for those times when you want something straightforward to make that’s filling, cosy and a little bit different. Because – what do you mean you’ve never cooked rice with eggplant before?? It works so well! Eggplant is a sponge for flavour. It soaks up all that garlicky, tomatoey, beefy flavour that bursts in your mouth when you bit into a piece!

Ingredients in Moussaka Beef Rice Pilaf

Here’s what you need to make this Moussaka(ish) pilaf:

Eggplant

One eggplant around 20 cm / 8″ long, weighing around 300g/10 oz. It’s fine if it’s a little larger or smaller. I’ve made this with an eggplant 500g/1 lb big and it worked great and increased the volume of the dish.

Other vegetable options – The use of eggplant in this recipe is what gives it moussaka vibes, though you can absolutely use other vegetables. Zucchini (courgettes) immediately springs to mind, being a similar juicy vegetable (be sure to cut them fairly large so they don’t get too soft), as does pumpkin and large pieces of tomato.

For the beef pilaf

• Beef – I’m using beef here but lamb is equally as delicious. Chicken, turkey and pork also work but won’t taste as “Greek”! 🙂

• Rice –  I like basmati because it has a lovely fragrance that I think suits this dish, and it holds up well to this one-pot style of cooking, unlike, for example, jasmine rice which gets too soft and mushy (in my humble rice-snob opinion). Long grain and medium grain rice can also be used. Short grain rice and sushi rice will work but are not my first choice as they gets a little softer than ideal.

  Rice to avoid – This recipe as written is not suitable for brown rice, risotto rice, paella rice, wild rice, black rice, quinoa or faux rice (cauliflower rice!). It can be made to work but the recipe will need adjustments to order of cooking, liquid quantities etc.

• Chickpeas – I added this at the last minute because it adds some good texture into what is otherwise a big pot of one dimensional soft texture. It also bulks it up using a low-GI starch that will keep you feeling full for longer – win, win!

• Garlic – Four big cloves! Greece would have a heart attack if we didn’t use garlic!

• Dried oregano – Another ingredient used regularly in Greek cooking.

• Onion – Essential flavour base.

• Pinot noir or other dry red wine – This will add a touch of extra depth of flavour into the dish, but it’s not the end of the world if you skip it.

• Tomato paste and crushed tomato – For good tomatoey flavour!

• Chicken stock/broth – Better than water. Low salt please! If you only have full salt, reduce the salt in the dish by 1/2 teaspoon or so.

How to make this one pot beef rice pilaf

1. Cut the eggplant into 1.5cm / 3/5″ cubes. I don’t peel eggplant because I haven’t encountered bitter skin or flesh issues (largely bred out of modern eggplants). If you are concerned, sprinkle the eggplant with 1/4 teaspoon salt and leave in a colander for 30 minutes to sweat bitterness out. Pat off the excess water then proceed with the recipe.

2. Sauté the onion and garlic in a large pot, then cook the beef, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red.

3. Bloom flavours – Next, add the oregano and salt and cook the beef for a good minute. This will make the oregano flavour bloom. Then add the tomato paste and cook that for 1 minute too. Don’t shortcut this step! It cooks out the raw sour flavour of tomato paste and sweetens it, as well as adding more flavour into the beef.

4. Eggplant and rice – Add the eggplant and toss to coat well in all the juicy beef. Mix until all the cubes are coated and change from white to red. Then add the rice and mix it through as well.

5. Cooking broth – Add the chickpeas, tomato, stock, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and bring the liquid to a simmer..

6. Steam rice 20 minutes – Wait until there are bubbles across the entire surface, not just around the edge of the pot. Put the lid on, turn the heat down to medium low (or low, if your stove is strong) and let the rice steam for 20 minutes. No peeking, no stirring!

7. Rest 10 minutes – At the 20 minute mark, take a quick peek to ensure the liquid has been mostly absorbed. There will still be a layer of thick tomato on the surface which is fine. Take the pot off the stove and let it rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. During this time, the rice will finish cooking and absorb the remaining liquid. Never, ever skip resting rice!! It’s essential!

8. Serve – Remove the lid, stir through some chopped parsley. Then divide between bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of extra parsley. Dig in with a spoon!

YUM. That is one great bowl of cosy deliciousness. And a complete meal at that with almost 1 kg / 2 lb of vegetables (eggplant + canned tomatoes + onion, yes, onion totally counts), protein and starch.

Great served plain, as pictured above, but a dollop of yogurt wouldn’t go astray either (which I added yesterday when I made this for a team lunch). And nobody would say no to some warm flatbreads for dunking! – Nagi x

---

Watch how to make it

Life of Dozer

In Dozer news, I finally caved and got him a life jacket so he can swim safely!

I was really trying to avoid it, thinking it would cement me further into the Crazy Dog Lady territory (even though secretly I know I’m the head priestess of the club). But after a stressful incident of Dozer swimming out way too far from shore, deaf to my frantic screeches to come back, I caved. Safety first!

To those wondering, Dozer is an excellent swimmer but he has an old-boy medical condition as a result of which he is not allowed to swim because of the risk of water getting into his lungs.

The life jacket, however, keeps him so nice and buoyant above the water line and keeps his head above water so he’s back swimming!!! He didn’t even bat an eyelid when I popped in on him. Look how happy he is!

So, Life of Dozer was pretty great this past weekend gone! I look forward to sharing more happy updates in the coming months.

Thank you again for all the messages of support and words of advice for Dozer’s recovery. I am genuinely so truly touched and grateful. – Nagi x