Moussaka is a casserole dish made with layers of wonderfully cooked vegetables, delicious meat sauce and creamy bechamel topping. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most iconic dishes in the Balkan region. All Balkan nations have their own versions of mousaka, but the Greek Moussaka is the most famous worldwide. My Best Greek Moussaka is based on the classic version of the Greek Moussaka recipe.

HISTORY AND VARIATIONS OF THE MOUSSAKA DISH

Moussaka is an authentic Balkan dish, like many other local dishes, it was introduced to the Balkans centuries ago by the Ottomans, who themselves adopted the original recipe from the Middle East.

The original Middle Eastern recipe was a casserole dish made with layers of eggplants/aubergines and tomato sauce. This version is still cooked in Turkey today, but in many parts of the peninsula, the original recipe was modified and new moussaka recipes were developed. Nowadays, there is a pretty large number of moussaka recipes in the Balkan cuisines.

In Turkey, the most popular version of moussaka remains the vegetarian eggplant and tomato sauce casserole.  You can view my version of this recipe here.

In Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania, moussaka is made with potatoes and mincemeat, without the eggplant. The dish has a topping made with yoghurt, eggs and flour.

In Romania, an authentic and rather unique moussaka version is prepared with cabbage instead of potatoes.

The most popular moussaka recipe in Greece was created by Nikolaos Tselementes in 1920 and is still the most loved one in Greece today. My recipe is based on his version of moussaka.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK MOUSSAKA?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY GREEK MOUSSAKA RECIPE

For clarity, I have separated the ingredients into these categories:

Moussaka layers

Potatoes: Use waxy potatoes, they will keep their shape and will not get mushy when cooked.

Eggplants (Aubergines): You do not have to peel the eggplant skin, it cooks well. If the eggplants are smaller, it is better to slice them lengthwise, it makes it easier to assemble the moussaka.

Meat sauce

Meat: Traditionally, Greek Moussaka (mousakas) calls for ground lamb or a blend of ground lamb and beef, however, you can substitute the lamb with ground beef only, veal or even pork meat. A blend of pork and beef works, too. It is good to use high-content fat meat for a juicy moussaka.

Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are fine, but I prefer canned Italian tomatoes for their sweetness. Do not forget to add sugar if using fresh tomatoes to kill the acidity.

Spices: Cinnamon and sweet paprika are spices used in most traditional Balkan cuisines. They bring wonderful sweet and smoky flavours to the moussaka. You can also add nutmeg to the bechamel, it goes well with the cinnamon flavours.

Wine: Deglazing the pan with wine is recommended because wine helps the meat to cook faster and carries lovely flavours.

Béchamel topping

Cheese: Greek béchamel sauce is made with grated Kefalotyri cheese (hard Greek cheese). But because Kefalotiry cheese is not widely available outside Greece, you can substitute it with Mature Cheddar or any hard cheese of your choice.

Egg: Traditionally, the topping for the moussaka contains egg yolk, which makes the béchamel layer thick and heavy. If you prefer the topping lighter, skip the egg yolks.

Milk: Although the bechamel sauce is made only with milk in the original recipe, I like to add a little sour cream to it. Sour cream makes the sauce creamier.

Mustard: Adding a spoonful of wholegrain mustard to the béchamel will make it even more delicious! A good friend of mine gave me this tip and, I must say, it works wonders.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Many think that moussaka is a complicated dish to make, but that is not necessarily true. If you follow these easy steps, you will create a perfect dish.

Step 1: Prepare the potatoes for the moussaka

Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1-1.5 cm round slices with a sharp knife or a mandoline. My mom used to cut the potatoes into small cubes, but I find cutting them in slices easier and takes less time.

Toss the potato slices into a large bowl and pour cold water into the bowl to cover the potatoes. Place a handful of ice in the water and let the potatoes soak in the cold water for 15 minutes to release excess starch.

Par-cook the potatoes in the oven or on the hob. Read how to do that below:

Saute the potatoes on the hob

Heat cooking oil to a high temperature in a large heavy-based pan. Place the potato slices in a single layer in the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn them with a fork to cook on the other side. Do not allow the potatoes to cook to a crisp. They must remain soft.

Saute the potatoes in the oven

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Spread the potato slices in a single layer on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil on top and saute in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Check after 15-20 minutes, if the potatoes are getting brown, stir or turn them to cook the other side.

Step 2: Prepare the eggplant/aubergine

Wash the eggplants and remove the green parts. No need to peel the skin. Use a mandoline to cut the eggplants into 1-1.5 cm thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a large plate or a tray and sprinkle salt over them. Place the rest of the eggplant slices on top and sprinkle more salt. Let the eggplants sweat for 15 minutes to release their bitter juices, then rinse and pat them dry. Next, you can pan-fry the eggplant slices or cook them in the oven.

Saute the eggplant/aubergine on the hob

Before frying the eggplant, brush the slices with egg white on both sides to clog the pores and prevent them from absorbing oil. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the sliced eggplants in batches for a few minutes on both sides until soft and golden brown. Add more oil when the pan is dry.

Take the cooked eggplant slices out of the pan and arrange them over kitchen paper to drain the oil.

Saute eggplant/aubergine in the oven

Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Arrange the slices in a single layer on an extra-large baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on top. Cook for 30 minutes in the middle of the oven.

Step 3: Prepare the moussaka meat sauce

The moussaka meat sauce is pretty similar to a basic Bolognese sauce. To make it, first, sauté chopped onions for a couple of minutes until translucent, then add the garlic to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Sprinkle the sweet paprika over the onion and saute it for a few seconds, stirring. Be careful not to burn the paprika because, if you do, the sauce will taste bitter.

Add the rest of the dry spices to the pan, stir and cook for a minute.

Place the ground meat in the pan. Break the lumps in the meat with a fork and stir it with the spices. The meat will release juices. Saute until these juices evaporate and brown the meat.

You can add a few tablespoons of water to the ground meat to make it softer. That way, it will be easier to break the lumps in the meat.

Pour red wine with the meat to deglaze the pan and stir. Reduce the wine and add the tomato paste. Stir to integrate the paste with the meat and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine with the meat. I like to use 1 can of chopped tomatoes for moisture and 1 can of plum tomatoes to improve the texture of the sauce. Ensure to break any large pieces of tomato with a fork and stir to combine it with the meat. Add half a tablespoon of sugar to reduce the acidity brought by the tomatoes in the sauce. 

Cover the saucepan with a lid and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until it thickens. The meat sauce must be thick or it will soak through the vegetables.

Step 4: Make the béchamel topping

Melt butter in a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan. Add flour and stir until the flour absorbs the butter. Reduce the heat and saute for 2-3 minutes until the flour turns a slightly darker colour.

In a mixing bowl, whisk milk and sour cream to blend. Pour a splash of blended milk into the flour mixture and start stirring vigorously. Gradually add more milk. Do not stop stirring until you have used all the milk and the bechamel sauce thickens. This will take a few minutes. Stirring gets harder with the béchamel mixture getting thicker, but you have to keep on doing it.

You can use a hand mixer to make the béchamel sauce, however, be careful as the metal whisks can damage the surface of your pan. Do not use a non-stick saucepan if you do.

When the béchamel sauce is ready, remove it from the heat and add the grated cheese, ground nutmeg, salt to taste and 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard. Stir well to combine all ingredients.

Remove the béchamel sauce from the hob and add the egg yolks. Stir to blend the yolks with the sauce.

Step 5: Assemble the moussaka

Assembling the moussaka is the fun part for me! 

Split the eggplant slices into two equal parts. Do the same with the meat sauce.

Place a single layer of par-cooked potatoes on the bottom of your oven dish. Arrange one part of the eggplant slices over the potatoes and spread half of the meat sauce evenly on top. 

Place the rest of the eggplant pieces into a layer over the meat sauce and spread the second part of the meat sauce on top. Finish assembling the moussaka by spreading the béchamel sauce evenly over the meat sauce.

Sprinkle grated cheese or parmesan over the assembled moussaka.

Step 6: Cook the moussaka

You can finish cooking the moussaka in the oven straight away or, if you prefer, you can do that later. Just cover it with cling film wrap and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. To bake the moussaka, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and cook for 1 hour in the middle of the oven. If you see the moussaka starting to get burned on top, cover with cooking foil.

How to cook moussaka from frozen?

You can also freeze the uncooked assembled moussaka and bake it from frozen later. That is very convenient for easy dinners on busy days or for a dinner party. When freezing moussaka, ensure to cover the dish with cling film wrap and place it flat in the freezer or the sauce may leak. Moussaka can be kept in the freezer for up to a month and will be just as fresh when you baked it.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Place the moussaka straight out of the freezer into a preheated oven and bake it for 1.5 hours.

🍲 How to SERVE MOUSSAKA

You can add a dollop of yoghurt to your plate of moussaka or serve it with Yoghurt soup (Tarator). Moussaka is well complemented with a winter pickle salad (view my Royal Pickle Torshi) or a fresh green salad.

I love to have moussaka with a spicy condiment on the side. My Balkan-Style Pickled Chillies are perfect for that. They are so flavoursome and appetising.

Bon Appétit! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳