Best Greek Moussaka Recipe
Moussaka is one of the most famous Greek dishes made with layers of wonderfully cooked vegetables, delicious meat sauce and creamy bechamel topping. Explore fantastic authentic Greek flavours with these easy-to-follow instructions.
Equipment
- 1 large rectangular casserole dish
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized eggplants/aubergines
- 5 medium-sized potatoes
- 2-3 cups vegetable oil
For the meat sauce
- 500 g beef ground meat
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic diced
- 400 ml can chopped Italian tomatoes
- 400 ml can plum tomatoes pressed
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the bechamel sauce
- 600 ml full fat milk
- 300 ml sour cream
- 120 g butter melted
- 120 g plain flour
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- 2 egg yolks optional
- 100 g Kefalotyri cheese or Cheddar or Parmesan
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the vegetable layers
- Peel and wash the potatoes, then cut them into slices with 1 cm thickness. Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess starch. Heat oil in a large pan and saute the potatoes for a few minutes on both sides to par-cook them.
- Wash the eggplants and cut off their green parts. Slice the eggplants into even slices with 1 cm thickness. Arrange the eggplant slices on a large tray and sprinkle salt over them. Let them sweat for 10-15 minutes, then rinse and dry them with kitchen paper. Heat cooking oil in the same large pan you used for the potatoes and pan-fry the eggplant slices on each side until lightly golden.
Make the meat sauce
- Peel and dice the onion and garlic. In a large saucepan, heat oil and brown the meat with the cinnamon spice. When done, transfer the meat to a plate. If the pan is dry, add more oil and saute the onions for a few minutes until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until soft. Stir occasionally. Add sweet paprika and saute it with the onions for a few seconds. Return the meat to the pan. Next, add the tomato paste, stir well and saute with the meat for a minute.Finally, add the canned tomatoes. Break large pieces of tomato and stir to integrate them into the sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes until they are incorporated. Ground freshly black pepper and salt in the sauce and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Make sure the meat sauce is thick, or it will soak through the vegetables.
Make the bechamel sauce
- Melt the butter in a large pan on high heat. Add the flour and start stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour absorbs the butter. Reduce the heat and saute the mixture for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the sour cream. Pour splashes of the sour milk with the flour mixture and continue stirring vigorously. Use all the milk mixture while your bechamel sauce is cooked. Then, add the grated cheese, wholegrain mustard and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook for another minute or two. Stir constantly.
Assemble the moussaka.
- First, arrange a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of a large oven dish, then make the second layer with the eggplant slices. Divide the meat sauce into two equal parts. Spread one part of the meat sauce over the eggplant and arrange another layer of potatoes, then eggplant and cover it evenly with the leftover meat sauce. Pour the béchamel sauce on top and spread it evenly. Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper and parmesan over the assembled moussaka.
Bake the moussaka
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake the mousska in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Cover with foil if the bechamel topping starts getting brown, and bake the moussaka until it's ready.