Greek moussaka is a classic Mediterranean casserole made with layers of eggplant, seasoned ground meat, and a rich béchamel sauce. This traditional Greek moussaka recipe is baked until golden and creamy, delivering deep, savory flavors and a comforting texture. Often served as a main course, it is a centerpiece dish of Greek cuisine and ideal for family lunches or festive dinners.
Greek Moussaka
Print RecipeIngredients
- EGGPLANT BASE
- 2 Piece eggplant, big
- 1 Decilitre (dl) olive oil
- 1 Tea spoon (tsp) salt
- MEAT FILLING
- 50 Dekagram (dkg) minced pork or beef
- 1 Piece onion, big
- 1 Piece garlic cloves
- 2 Piece tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Table spoon (tbsp) olive oil
- 2 Peck white pepper
- 1 Tea spoon (tsp) salt
- 1 Peck cinnamon
- 2 Piece clove
- 1 Piece chili
- 1 Peck cumin, grounded
- 1 Peck nutmeg, grounded
- 1 Decilitre (dl) red wine
- BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- 50 Gram (g) butter
- 50 Gram (g) flour
- 500 Millilitre (ml) milk
- 3 Peck nutmeg, grounded
- 1 Tea spoon (tsp) salt
- 2 Peck white pepper
Instructions
EGGPLANT BASE
Greek moussaka (mousaka) is one of the most popular foods in Greece, served in almost every tavern and prepared in every household on special occasions and big family meals. Begin by preparing the eggplants, remove the stalks and cut them into slices, 0.5 cm thick. Place in a baking paper wrapped pan, season with salt and grease with olive oil. Bake them in preheated oven on 180 C degree about 20 minutes until light browned. Until the eggplants are frying prepare the meat sauce and béchamel.
MEAT FILLING
Heat a large pan to medium -high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and garlic wit a peck of salt and sauté, until so!ened and slightly colored. Stir in mince stir and sauté until the meat getting whitened. Pour in tomato, season and add the red wine. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
Use a large pan to melt some butter over low heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add tepid milk in a steady stream, keep whisking in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. Add the milk in 4-5 steps and stir until so! and creamy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat while continuing to stir. Stir in the salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.
Assemble the moussaka. For this moussaka recipe you will need a smaller baking pan, approx. 15*25 cm). Oil the bottom and sides of the pan and layer the eggplants. Pour in the meat sauce and mix 1-2 tablespoon béchamel on top of the meat. Add a second layer of eggplants, meat and béchamel. Top with the last layer of eggplant and cover with béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula. Bake the moussaka in preheated oven at 180-200C for about 60 minutes, until crust turns light golden brown. Even though it will be really hard. You should wait for the moussaka to cool down 10 minutes before cutting into pieces.
