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Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

A traditional Greek dish featuring layers of eggplant, beef filling, and bechamel sauce.
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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
  • baking dish
  • wooden spoon

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 unit onion diced (brown, white, yellow)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 700 g ground beef or lamb (mince) (Note 1)
  • ½ cup red wine dry (optional)
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth/stock (Note 2)
  • 1 unit beef bouillon cube crumbled (or 1 teaspoon powder)
  • 2 unit 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
  • 5 tablespoon plain flour
  • 2.5 cups milk (any fat %)
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated (optional)
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese grated (or Kefalotiri Cheese) (Note 3)
  • 1 unit egg
  • 1 unit egg yolk
  • 1.25 teaspoon Vegeta vegetable or chicken stock powder (or salt) (Note 4)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Topping

  • ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 5)

Instructions
 

Eggplant (Note 6)

  • 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 for 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 (or salt) 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! The salting of the eggplant removes excess liquid and bitterness. Freezing instructions: Cook per recipe, then allow to cool. Cover tightly with cling wrap then freeze. To reheat, thaw then reheat at 180C/350F for 25 minutes uncovered or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out hot.

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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