Contest Winning Corn Moussaka

I found the original of this recipe in a 1980 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.  It was a contest winner dish at that time.  It appealed to me on the basis that it used corn and ground beef, both of which I typically had on hand.  I didn't keep cottage cheese on hand then, but I felt the recipe was economical enough I could afford that addition to my budget.  Nowadays, I'd probably substitute in a Bechamel sauce.   

This recipe stood the test of time.  I have made it on average at least twice a year since 1980.  In a household where I typically 'shake things up' often and am always trying new recipes.  

Recently I've added allspice and oregano to the sauce base.  You really do want the warm flavor of cinnamon and allspice in this casserole for that indefinable flavor.  

Corn Moussaka

1 17-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

1 1/2 pounds ground beef *

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp garlic salt** 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp oregano

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 1 /2 cups cottage cheese with chives, drained*** 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

slivered almonds (optional)

Spread corn in an ungreased shallow casserole, 10 x 7.  In medium skillet, brown ground beef.  Drain fat if necessary.  Add flour; cook and stir for 1 minute.  Add tomato sauce, flour, garlic, and cinnamon.  Pour over corn in dish.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. 

Mix cottage cheese and eggs.  Spread over warm meat mixture.  Top with cheeses.  Sprinkle almonds on top of the cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes more. *I usually end up baking a little longer.  The cottage cheese topping should be just soft set.  If it is a little wobblier than you feel comfortable with, cook up to 1/2 hour, but check every five minutes.  The point is not to cook the cheese dry and hard atop the meat mixture.****

  *I've never used more than a pound of meat in this recipe

**I use 1 teaspoon minced garlic

***/****I have never noticed the part where it says to drain the cottage cheese! You could easily skip the draining and just add in a couple of tablespoons of flour and stir well.   I add 1 tablespoon dried chives to plain cottage cheese.

You can skip the whole cottage cheese thing and just make a 2-cup recipe of Bechamel sauce.  I stir two beaten eggs into my sauce to make it 'set' up nicely.  

NOTES:  I just made an Eggplant and Potato Moussaka.  My take was that I'd rather have used the meat filling from this recipe.  And next time I will!

You can use either sliced grilled Eggplant or thick slices of Potato that has been well browned on both sides in this dish.  Layer the vegetables and meat the way you do in Italian Lasagna.  Adding a bit of grated Parmesan between layers and to the top of the dish is delicious.