This was a nice dish, but I would have liked a little more zing and flavor. But then, I guess that is why it's called American lasagna:-)

Reviewed On: May 20, 2004

I served this recipe to a group of Turks and Bulgarians. I didn't tell them what I was making and I am American, so when one of them took a bite and said "Oh my god! You made Mmusaka!" I could not have been more pleased. One lady didn't even believe it was my first time making it. The thing is that I ended up adding about three times the amount of paprika and twice the cumin and cayenne pepper in order to make it come out with what I consider enough flavor. But then, I (and most Bulgarians and Turks) like strong flavor. Next time I will also add about three times the Chubritsa (summer savory) which I found at a mediterranean grocery store, because I could not taste it at all in the dish. I boiled the potatoes for about 15 minutes before cooling them in cold water, then peeled and cubed them. I used about 12 ounces of plain homemade tomato sauce. I drained the meat after cooking and found the amount of olive oil called for in the recipe to be way too much; 2 tablespoons is plenty for browning the beef. I also added a little less water to the mix prior to baking. Even though I had to modify the ingredients significantly, I am going to give this recipe 4/5 stars because my Turkish boyfriend is still bragging to all his friends about my cooking because of it:-) One more note: the Turkish version of this recipe definitely calls for eggplant, which can be bought sliced and canned from wherever you buy the chubritsa. Thanks for sharing this recipe Lisa!

Reviewed On: May 20, 2004

I did not get rave reviews on this recipe. I thought there was too much rice.

Reviewed On: May 20, 2004