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Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

A traditional recipe for a Greek dish featuring layers of eggplant, beef filling, and bechamel sauce, creating a flavorful moussaka.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Greek
Servings 6 people
Calories 434 kcal

Equipment

  • Large colander
  • skillet or pot
  • Baking Dish
  • parchment paper
  • Pan

Ingredients
  

Eggplant

  • 1 kg eggplant (aubergines) 0.75cm / 0.3" thick slices
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 - 3 tablespoon olive oil

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup onion diced (brown, white, yellow)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 700 g ground beef or lamb (mince) 1.4 lb (Note 1)
  • ½ cup red wine dry (optional)
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth/stock Note 2
  • 1 cube beef bouillon crumbled (or 1 teaspoon powder)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1.5 teaspoon sugar any
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon or 1 stick, use whole
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Bechamel Sauce

  • 4 tablespoon butter (60g)
  • 5 tablespoon plain flour
  • 2 ½ cups milk (any fat %)
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated (optional)
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese grated (or Kefalotiri Cheese) (Note 3)
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 yolk egg yolk
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon Vegeta vegetable or chicken stock powder (or salt) (Note 4)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Topping

  • ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 5)

Instructions
 

Eggplant

  • Place eggplant slightly overlapping in a large colander. Sprinkle with some salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
  • Leave to sweat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make Meat Sauce and Béchamel Sauce.
  • Preheat oven to 240C/450F.
  • Pat eggplant dry - make sure to do this well, otherwise it's too salty. Lay on parchment paper lined trays (you might need 3 trays, work in batches), brush with oil.
  • Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Meat Sauce

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pot over high heat, then cook the garlic and onion for 2 minutes.
  • Add the beef or lamb and cook until it changes from pink to brown, breaking it up as you go.
  • Add wine, cook for 1.5 minutes or until alcohol smell is gone.
  • Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce.

Bechamel Sauce

  • Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Stirring constantly, slowly add the milk. Then stir regularly for 3 to 5 minutes or until it thickens so that it thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
  • Remove from the stove and whisk in cheese, nutmeg, Vegeta/stock powder and pepper.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then whisk the eggs in. Cover with lid until required.

Assemble

  • Lower oven to 180C/350F (all oven types).
  • Place half the eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish, then top with all the Filling.
  • Top with remaining eggplant, then pour over the Béchamel Sauce, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
  • Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Lamb is traditional, beef is equally delicious! Use hot water plus 1 extra bouillon stock cube for beef stock. Panko is not Greek but offers better crunch. Eggplant should be salted to remove bitterness and excess liquid.

Nutrition

Serving: 587gCalories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 32gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 1317mgPotassium: 894mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 540IUVitamin C: 6.9mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 4.1mg
Keyword greek moussaka, Moussaka, Traditional Moussaka recipe
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