Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
One-pot Moussaka beef rice pilaf Recipe
Right here’s an awesome new beef mince recipe to attempt! Suppose – Greek Moussaka flavours, in risotto kind in a useful one-pot recipe. Eggplant, beef, tomato, a lot of garlic and oregano. Cosy. Simple. Satisfying. Totally scrumptious!
Consider in the present day’s recipe as a cross between moussaka and risotto. However a lot simpler to make than each 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 obtained the hallmarks of an awesome risotto, with the juicy, oozy rice. By no means stodgy, by no means mushy.
It’s not genuine something. But it surely’s very, very tasty, and a extremely useful one-pot meal for these instances once you need one thing easy to make that’s filling, cosy and a bit bit completely different. As a result of – what do you imply you’ve by no means cooked rice with eggplant earlier than?? It really works so nicely! Eggplant is a sponge for flavour. It soaks up all that garlicky, tomatoey, beefy flavour that bursts in your mouth once you bit into a chunk!
Right here’s what that you must make this Moussaka(ish) pilaf:
Eggplant
One eggplant round 20 cm / 8″ lengthy, weighing round 300g/10 oz. It’s advantageous if it’s a bit bigger or smaller. I’ve made this with an eggplant 500g/1 lb large and it labored nice and elevated the amount of the dish.
Different vegetable choices – Using eggplant on this recipe is what provides it moussaka vibes, although you possibly can completely use different greens. Zucchini (courgettes) instantly springs to thoughts, being an identical juicy vegetable (make sure you lower them pretty giant in order that they don’t get too gentle), as does pumpkin and enormous items of tomato.
For the meat pilaf
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Beef – I’m utilizing beef right here however lamb is equally as scrumptious. Chicken, turkey and pork additionally work however received’t style as “Greek”! 🙂
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Rice – I like basmati as a result of it has a stunning perfume that I believe fits this dish, and it holds up nicely to this one-pot model of cooking, not like, for instance, jasmine rice which will get too gentle and mushy (in my humble rice-snob opinion). Lengthy grain and medium grain rice may also be used. Brief grain rice and sushi rice will work however usually are not my first alternative as they will get a bit softer than very best.
Rice to keep away from – This recipe as written is just not appropriate for brown rice, risotto rice, paella rice, wild rice, black rice, quinoa or fake rice (cauliflower rice!). It may be made to work however the recipe will want changes to order of cooking, liquid portions and so forth.
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Chickpeas – I added this on the final minute as a result of it provides some good texture into what’s in any other case an enormous pot of 1 dimensional gentle texture. It additionally bulks it up utilizing a low-GI starch that may hold you feeling full for longer – win, win!
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Garlic – 4 large cloves! Greece would have a coronary heart assault if we didn’t use garlic!
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Dried oregano – One other ingredient used recurrently in Greek cooking.
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Onion – Important flavour base.
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Pinot noir or different dry pink wine – This can add a contact of additional depth of flavour into the dish, nevertheless it’s not the tip of the world in case you skip it.
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Tomato paste and crushed tomato – For good tomatoey flavour!
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Chicken inventory/broth – Higher than water. Low salt please! If you happen to solely have full salt, scale back the salt within the dish by 1/2 teaspoon or so.
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Lower the eggplant into 1.5cm / 3/5″ cubes. I don’t peel eggplant as a result of I haven’t encountered bitter pores and skin or flesh points (largely bred out of contemporary eggplants). If you’re involved, sprinkle the eggplant with 1/4 teaspoon salt and depart in a colander for half-hour to sweat bitterness out. Pat off the surplus water then proceed with the recipe.
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Sauté the onion and garlic in a big pot, then cook dinner the meat, breaking it up as you go, till you not see pink.
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Bloom flavours – Subsequent, add the oregano and salt and cook dinner the meat for a great minute. This can make the oregano flavour bloom. Then add the tomato paste and cook dinner that for 1 minute too. Don’t shortcut this step! It cooks out the uncooked bitter flavour of tomato paste and sweetens it, in addition to including extra flavour into the meat.
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Eggplant and rice – Add the eggplant and toss to coat nicely in all of the juicy beef. Combine till all of the cubes are coated and alter from white to pink. Then add the rice and blend it by as nicely.
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Cooking broth – Add the chickpeas, tomato, inventory, salt and pepper. Give it a great stir and produce the liquid to a simmer..
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Steam rice 20 minutes – Wait till there are bubbles throughout the complete floor, not simply across the fringe of the pot. Put the lid on, flip the warmth right down to medium low (or low, in case your range is powerful) and let the rice steam for 20 minutes. No peeking, no stirring!
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Relaxation 10 minutes – On the 20 minute mark, take a fast peek to make sure the liquid has been principally absorbed. There’ll nonetheless be a layer of thick tomato on the floor which is okay. Take the pot off the range and let it relaxation for 10 minutes with the lid on. Throughout this time, the rice will end cooking and take in the remaining liquid. By no means, ever skip resting rice!! It’s important!
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Serve – Take away the lid, stir by some chopped parsley. Then divide between bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of additional parsley. Dig in with a spoon!
YUM. That’s one nice bowl of cosy deliciousness. And a whole meal at that with nearly 1 kg / 2 lb of greens (eggplant + canned tomatoes + onion, sure, onion completely counts), protein and starch.
Nice served plain, as pictured above, however a dollop of yogurt wouldn’t go astray both (which I added yesterday once I made this for a crew lunch). And no one would say no to some heat flatbreads for dunking! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 onion , diced
- 500g / 1 lb beef mince / ground beef (or lamb) – Note 1
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (for the beef)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 300g/ 10oz eggplant (~ 20cm/8" long), cut into 1.5cm / 3/5" cubes
- 1/3 cup pinot noir or other dry red wine (optional)
- 1 cup basmati rice , uncooked (Note 2)
- 400g / 14 oz can chickpeas , drained (or other beans of choice)
- 400g / 14 oz can crushed tomato
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 1 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (for broth)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped (optional)
- Extra virgin olive oil , for drizzling
- Dollop of Greek yogurt optional (not pictured but goes really well!)
Instructions
- ⚠️ Eggplant cube size – Make sure they're no larger than 1.5 cm / 1/2" max, else they may not cook through properly!
- Cook beef – Heat the oil on a large pot over high heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red. Add the 1/2 tsp salt and oregano. Cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute (don't shortcut this step – Note 3).
- Deglaze – Add the eggplant and the cubes are coated in the red beef juices. Add the wine, bring it to a simmer, stir (scrape the base of the pot) then let it mostly evaporate.
- Broth – Add the rice and stir to coat. Add remaining ingredients, stir, bring to a simmer. Give it one last stir then once there are gentle bubbles all across the surface (not just around the edge), put the lid on and turn the heat down to medium low (or low, if using a strong stove).
- Steam rice – Cook for 20 minutes, no peeking, no stirring! The liquid will be absorbed by the stage though there will be a layer of tomato on the surface (peek quickly!).
- Rest – Remove the pot from the stove and rest for 10 minutes (lid still on) – residual liquid will be absorbed and the rice will finish cooking.
- Eat! Toss the rice – it will be juicy but not mushy! Divide between bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
Notes
1. Protein options – Lamb works equally as well. Chicken, turkey and pork also work but won’t taste as “Greek”! 🙂
2. Eggplant – I do not peel, I’ve never had problems with bitterness in the skin (which has largely been bred out of eggplant these days). If you’re concerned about bitterness, toss the cubes of eggplant in 1/4 tsp salt and leave in colander for 30 minutes. Pat dry, follow recipe.
3. Rice – I like basmati because it has a lovely fragrance that I think suits this dish. Long grain and medium grain rice can also be used. Short grain rice/sushi will work but not my first choice, it gets a little softer than ideal. Jasmine rice is a little too soft for this type of cooking method (it will get mushy). Recipe not suitable as written for brown rice, risotto rice, paella rice, wild rice, black rice, quinoa or faux rice (cauliflower rice!).
4. Cooking off the tomato paste will intensify and improve the flavour, plus take off the sour edge. Makes the beef and overall dish tastier!
Leftovers will keep for 3 days. Add a sprinkle of water to juice it up again when reheating.
Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings.
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