Description
A classic Greek moussaka recipe featuring layers of tender potatoes, charred eggplant and zucchini, savory ground lamb in tomato sauce, and a creamy, cheesy béchamel topping baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 2 large potatoes (or 4 small), peeled
- 2 medium eggplants
- salt (for salting eggplant and seasoning)
- 1 large zucchini
Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided: 2 tablespoons for vegetable roasting, 2 tablespoons for cooking meat sauce)
Meat Sauce
- 1 cup onion, diced (from 1 medium or 1/2 large onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1/4 cup red wine (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
- salt and pepper to taste
Béchamel Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk (divided)
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese (or grated kefalotyri)
- pinch nutmeg
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until just tender. Allow them to cool, then slice into 1/4 inch rounds and set aside for layering.
- Salt Eggplant: Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch rounds. Spread slices on a lined baking sheet and generously salt both sides. Place another weighted baking sheet on top to press out moisture. Let sit for about 15 minutes to remove excess water.
- Rinse and Dry Eggplant: Pat the eggplant slices with paper towels, rinse under running water to remove salt, and dry thoroughly again with paper towels.
- Prepare and Broil Vegetables: Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss eggplant and zucchini slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and arrange in a single layer on baking sheets. Broil on the highest oven rack for 6 minutes until slightly charred, then flip and broil the other side. Set aside.
- Make Meat Sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add ground lamb and brown thoroughly, breaking up meat. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, red wine or vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Make Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup milk until smooth, then slowly add remaining milk. Stir frequently until thickened. Add cheese and nutmeg, season with salt. Remove from heat or keep very low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Assemble Moussaka: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large 9×13 casserole dish, layer half of the broiled eggplant and zucchini slices at the bottom. Spread all the meat sauce evenly over the vegetables. Add the remaining eggplant and zucchini slices, then layer the potato slices on top. Pour béchamel sauce to cover the entire dish evenly.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is bubbly and nicely browned. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Salting the eggplant is essential to remove bitterness and excess moisture, which helps avoid sogginess.
- You can substitute ground beef for lamb if preferred, but lamb is more traditional.
- Let the moussaka rest 20-30 minutes before serving for cleaner slicing.
- Use kefalotyri if available for a more authentic flavor instead of Parmesan.
- If you don’t have red wine, red wine vinegar is an acceptable substitute in the meat sauce.
- The béchamel sauce must be thick enough to properly cover the dish and create a creamy top layer when baked.
