Classic Moussaka Recipe
This Classic Moussaka Recipe is a traditional Greek eggplant casserole made with layers of eggplant, potato, meat sauce and a creamy bechamel.
Ingredients
Vegetable layers
- 4 medium eggplants cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 3 potatoes cut into 1/2 inch slices
- salt
- oil for frying
Meat Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced (optional)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Béchamel Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 5 cups milk
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons grated mitzithra or Parmesan cheese
Topping
- 2 tablespoons grated mitzithra or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cooking in batches, pan fry the eggplant slices until soft and golden brown on both sides.
- Pan fry the potato slices until golden brown both sides and fork tender.
- Place fried eggplant and potato on a paper-towel lined pan and season with salt. Set aside.Note: Instead of frying, you can also roast or grill the eggplant and potatoes.
Meat Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet pan over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking up any large chunks as you stir and cook it.
- Once the beef is browned, add the tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper to the meat. Add the water and bring the meat sauce to a boil, stirring frequently until the water evaporates and the meat is cooked. Set aside and let cool.
Béchamel
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour, stirring until it makes a thick paste or roux. Add the milk slowly, whisking continuously as you do so. Whisk until the béchamel sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, then remove it from the heat. Whisk in the egg yolks, mizithra, salt and nutmeg.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
Assemble moussaka
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Lightly grease a deep 9x13 or similar sized pan with olive oil.
- Arrange the potato slices on the bottom of the deep baking pan to create a layer of potatoes.
- Add a layer of eggplant slices on top of the potato layer. You will use half of the eggplant slices for this layer.
- Top the eggplant layer with the meat sauce, spreading it to ensure it is evenly distributed.
- Add a second layer of eggplant slices on top of the meat sauce.
- Top the eggplant slices with the bechamel sauce, spreading it evenly across the moussaka.
- Sprinkle the bechamel layer with mitzithra or Parmesan cheese.
- Bake the moussaka in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a nice golden crust forms.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes so it can set before slicing.
Notes
Note: Nutritional information is an estimation only and does not include the oil used for frying.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 15gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 894mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 614IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 182mgIron: 2mg
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
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