Recipe For Greek Moussaka
User Reviews
3.9
133 reviews
Good
-
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
-
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
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Servings
8 pieces
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Calories
588 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Greek
Recipe For Greek Moussaka
Report
Greek Moussaka layers seasoned ground beef sauce with slices of potato, eggplant, and zucchini, characterized by aromatic spices like cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. It’s finished with a creamy béchamel made with butter, flour, milk, nutmeg, and cheeses including kasseri and kefalotyri, bound with eggs for a rich and velvety topping. The preparation involves frying vegetables and simmering the meat sauce before assembling and baking into a layered casserole.
Description
This Recipe For Greek Moussaka features a multi-layered casserole consisting of spiced ground beef sauce and sautéed vegetable layers including potato, eggplant, and zucchini. The meat sauce is flavored with traditional spices such as ground cloves, allspice, and cinnamon stick, simmered with tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce until thickened, then enriched with breadcrumbs. The vegetables are sliced fairly thin, with eggplants soaked briefly to reduce bitterness, and fried until tender and browned.
The dish is topped with a béchamel cream sauce made by cooking a roux of butter and flour, then whisking in warm milk, nutmeg, and grated cheese until thickened. Eggs are incorporated for richness before pouring over the assembled layers. After baking, the moussaka sets into a hearty and structured dish with creamy topping and seasoned filling.
Moussaka serves well as a filling main course, ideal for dinner. The combination of warm spices and creamy cheese topping contrasts nicely with the tender vegetables, creating a satisfying texture and depth of flavor. The recipe requires some preparation steps but yields a traditional layered casserole.
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Ingredients
For The Ground Meat Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 100 grams (1 small) onion minced
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) ground beef
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 small stick of cinnamon
- 3 loaded teaspoons tomato paste
- 200 grams (7 ounces) tomato or use canned instead, ripe diced
- 250 grams (1 cup) tomato sauce cut in half if using canned diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ tablespoons breadcrumb ground
For The Vegetable Layers:
- 900 grams (2 pounds) potato
- 700 grams (1.5 pounds) eggplant
- 450 grams (1 pound) zucchini
- vegetable oil sunflower, canola, etc, for frying
For The Bechamel Cream:
- 100 grams (3.5 ounce) butter
- 80 grams (8 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 1 litre milk heated until warm
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 70 grams (⅔ cup) kasseri cheese grated, or Provolone or Gruyere
- 3 tablespoons kefalotyri cheese + a little bit extra to sprinkle on top, grated, Greek, or Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- 3 medium-sized egg at room temperature
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
Make The Ground Meat Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized cooking pot or saute pan.
- Saute onion over moderate heat.
- Add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper, and break it apart with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until no lumps remain.
- Stir in the ground cloves, allspice, tomato paste, and cinnamon stick. Cook for a minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, cook, and stir for a minute more.
- Pour the tomato sauce and 1½ cups (375 ml) hot water.
- Add the bay leaf, partly cover, and simmer over moderate heat until sauce thickens.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the ground breadcrumbs. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
Prepare The Vegetable Layers:
- Slice the eggplants lengthwise ½cm (¼-inch) thick. Add them to a bowl with cold water to soak for a few minutes with a plate on top to weigh them down and submerge them underwater.
- Slice the zucchini the same way you did the eggplants. Season with salt and pepper.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into slices about ⅔ cm (½-inch) thick. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat plenty of vegetable or frying oil in a saute pan (it should cover the pan by at least ⅓) or use a deep fryer.
- Deep-fry the potatoes until golden and softened. Transfer them to paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Deep-fry the zucchini until lightly colored. (Meanwhile, drain eggplant slices in a strainer and season them with salt and pepper.) Lay the fried zucchini on paper towels.
- Deep-fry the eggplants until golden in color then transfer to paper towels as well.
Make The Bechamel Cream:
- Melt butter in a small cooking pot over moderate heat.
- Add the flour and stir with a whisk. Cook for a minute or two (stirring constantly) until it looks golden and starts to smell nutty.
- Pour in the milk and stir to combine.
- Add the nutmeg. Cook the cream until it thickens. It won't get too thick, it will be slightly thicker than the consistency of custard. Make sure to stir often with the whisk and pay extra attention to the walls of the pot. Take the cream off the heat and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the eggs and both types of cheese.
Put Together:
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F.
- Lay the potato slices in a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13-inch) pan or use a baking dish of about the same size. It should be at least 5 cm (2 inches tall). Press the potatoes lightly with your hands to make them stick together a bit.
- Layer the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes.
- Add the zucchini slices on top in the same fashion.
- Spread the ground meat sauce on top and then top with the bechamel cream.
- Bake. Sprinkle some extra grated hard cheese on top and place the pan in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cream has set and looks golden on top with brown spots all over its surface.
- Allow to set for at least 30 minutes. Ideally for an hour or longer. The cream will become firmer as it cools.
- Cut into 8 pieces, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1serving
Calories
588kcal
(29%)
Carbohydrates
45g
(15%)
Protein
23g
(46%)
Fat
36g
(55%)
Saturated Fat
15g
(75%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
(12%)
Monounsaturated Fat
15g
(75%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
148mg
(49%)
Sodium
374mg
(16%)
Potassium
1343mg
(29%)
Fiber
7g
(28%)
Sugar
13g
(26%)
Vitamin A
889IU
(18%)
Vitamin C
37mg
(41%)
Calcium
229mg
(23%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 588 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 588kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 45g | 15% |
| Protein | 23g | 46% |
| Fat | 36g | 55% |
| Saturated Fat | 15g | 75% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 15g | 75% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 148mg | 49% |
| Sodium | 374mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 1343mg | 29% |
| Fiber | 7g | 28% |
| Sugar | 13g | 26% |
| Vitamin A | 889IU | 18% |
| Vitamin C | 37mg | 41% |
| Calcium | 229mg | 23% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
3.9
133 reviews
Good
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