This recipe for Lebanese moussaka, first publised in 2010, was updated in September 2021. The changes include more precise measurements, the elimination of lemon juice (the pomegranate molasses imparts enough sourness), and the addition of allspice and cinnamon.
One of my favourite easy meals, this delightfully rich stew combines two middle eastern staples to create a mouthwatering stew of aubergine (eggplant) and chickpeas. A full-bodied tomato sauce complemented by tangy pomegranate molasses is what makes this dish so unique. It's simple to make, delicious to eat, and makes for a filling meal.
Lebanese Moussaka (Maghmour)
This no frills dinner can be served as a main with rice or, more traditionally, room temperature as part of a mezze spread.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- 1 large aubergine (about 400-425 grams) cut into ½ inch rounds
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 400 gram tin of tomatoes or 400 grams fresh tomatoes
- 75 millilitres water
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- pinch or two ground cinnamon
- 400 gram tin of chickpeas, drained or 100 grams dried chickpeas, cooked
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Handful of fresh parsley leaves chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250° Celcius (475° F). Use some of the olive oil to brush both sides of the aubergine (eggplant) slices and bake for about 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook a further 10 minutes. If the aubergine are finished cooking before you complete the next step, remove from the oven and set aside until you do.
- Heat the remaining oil in a large pan or medium saucepan and fry the onions for 5-6 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, sugar, salt, allspice, and cinnamon. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the roasted aubergine and chickpeas to the sauce. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir the pomegranate molasses through just before it's finished cooking.
- If serving as a main, dish up with rice and/or bread. If you intend to serve this as part of a mezze spread, let the moussaka cool to room temperature first. Garnish with parsley.
Sounds tasty. I love pomegranate molasses. I'm almost out of it, but I think I have one tablespoon. But what about spices? No cumin or anything?
I think cumin would be a pretty good addition too (it definitely works well with pomegranate molasses), but certainly isn't necessary to add flavour to this dish.
so super yum. thanks for this recipe. i made this tonight. 🙂
BTW, I always post your recipes on the weight watchers veg board. your recipes are awesome for folks who are trying to lose weight.
now if i only hadn't sleep eaten that pint of vegan pomegranate chip ice cream.....
Is that the Purely Decadent stuff? When I'm in the states I eat a tub of that a day and the pomegranate chip is one of my favourites!
Glad you like the recipe. Pomegranate molasses is one of the most amazing discoveries of my life and this is one of my favourite uses. Thanks for passing my stuff along, too!
yep! i love that stuff. i had to make an executive decision to only have it in the house on special occasions because i became WAY out of control. 🙂
Nothing but raves from us & the leftover taster at my wife's school, except...leftovers? Looking at the volume of ingredients, I decided to use 2 large eggplants (sorry, we're still living in the U.S.) and doubled everything else; we (2) had 2 bowls each for dinner and had only about 1 cup left over. If 1X the recipe "serves 2 as a main", it leaves me feeling somewhat - gluttonacious?
As an aside, since I had to make the PoMolasses for this, I was wondering: Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my strong points; any guesses or experience with substituting that molasses as the "tartening agent" instead of those citrus fruits?
Glad you liked it and thanks for the rave review. I'll review the recipe when I'm back home to check quantities.
I love the idea of a pomegranate base for a pie! I'm going to experiment when I'm back home next week. Maybe a combination of the molasses and lemon juice, as they go so well together?
I have been working on this recipe for some time now. I find that the addition of extra garlic, and olive oil keeps it rich. Allspice, mint and a scosh of cinnamon really gives this some depth of flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the added tips!
I used everything you mentioned except for mint and allspice which I did not have on hand. I went overboard with the chickpeas so will fish out to make with pasta but we loved it. Lemon juice and pomegranate syrup is wonderful, I like to experiment so I threw in a smidgen of Sumac. Turned out fabulous. I may have overcooked the eggplants, it was my first time.
without onions? interesting..
What would you serve with?... Taa!
Hi Mirella,
I would go simple with fresh pitta bread or with couscous. You also can't go wrong with a basic salad with a lemon and good quality olive oil dressing.
Thanks, I've just had it now absolutely amazing! 🙂
Glad you liked it and thanks for reporting back 🙂
Hi Kip,
Hope this isn't a silly question, but do you drain the tins of chickpeas and tomatoes before adding them to the pot?
Yes, I drain them. I'll add that to the recipe to avoid confusion in future. Thanks!
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