Traditional moussaka, a flagship dish of the Greek summer.
Sweet, melting eggplants, juicy and rich meat sauce, velvety béchamel, and sometimes potatoes.
Ingredients from the Greek vegetable garden and the “European” béchamel came together under the… ladle of Nikolaos Tselementes and created an iconic dish, beloved but also—at times—abused in its mass-produced “touristic” version. Together with pastitsio, they make up the “unstoppable duo” of favorite Greek dishes.
“Greek moussaka,” besides being an epic recipe and internationally well known and loved, is also a dish that reaches tourists—mostly—in a not particularly flattering version.
But we can make homemade moussaka, carefully prepared and with all the proper elements.
Choose large, tender eggplants, and you can either fry them or grill them in your oven or on the barbecue. In any case, eggplants love and absorb olive oil so much that there is no need to think about calories in this particular dish, which, after all, is not something we cook every day.
Personally, I love both fried and grilled eggplants, and if I choose to make moussaka with grilled ones, it is only because I dislike the smell of frying in the house—not the fried eggplants themselves.
Also, the reason I put a layer of potatoes at the bottom of the pan is because they help make the moussaka more stable and a little easier to serve. Deep down, I love moussaka made only with eggplants a little more, but that is purely a matter of taste.
Think about how you love to make and eat moussaka and make it, even just once, in the summer. Forget calories, hassle, trouble, and enjoy your favorite moussaka!
Ingredients for Moussaka
For the meat sauce
- 1 kg ground beef
- 2 dry onions, finely chopped or grated
- 500 g tomatoes, grated
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick + 3-4 whole cloves + 1-2 bay leaves
- 100 ml white wine or tsipouro
- olive oil
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Instructions for the meat sauce
In a roomy pot, add the olive oil and let it heat well. Add the ground meat and, using a wooden spatula, break it up and brown it well.
We want it to have no lumps and to take on that characteristic grayish color. Add salt and pepper. Continue browning the meat until it loses its moisture and starts to cook properly. Add the onion as well. Stir continuously. Add the bay leaves, the cinnamon stick, and the cloves.
Add the tomato paste as well. Continue sautéing the mixture, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon. Browning the meat takes quite a while, about 15-20 minutes, so that the meat develops a nice flavor and aroma instead of tasting boiled.
Deglaze the meat with the wine or tsipouro. Stir well.
Add the grated tomato and the sugar. Stir and let the meat simmer—with the lid on—until it is left with its oil.
For the base
- 1 kg large eggplants (4-5)
- 1-2 potatoes (depending on size; we want to make one layer on the bottom of the pan)
For the béchamel
- 1,200 ml fresh milk
- 120 g cow’s butter
- 120 g flour or cornstarch
- salt, pepper, nutmeg
Wash the eggplants and remove the stem.
Cut the eggplants lengthwise into slices about half a centimeter thick.
Salt the eggplants and leave them in a colander for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Salt them and drizzle with olive oil. Grill them on both sides until golden. Place them on a plate.
Rinse the eggplants under running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Arrange them on the tray as well, drizzle with olive oil, and grill them too.
We prepare the béchamel.
In a pot, add the butter and, once it melts, gradually add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Let the mixture cook for a few minutes over medium heat, until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Be careful, because it can burn easily.
Start adding the milk while stirring constantly.
When the cream thickens, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If we want, we can also add a little grated cheese for extra flavor.
Assembling the moussaka
Lightly oil an ovenproof dish or baking pan. Sprinkle in a very small amount of breadcrumbs.
First arrange the potatoes. On top, place half of the eggplants close together, without leaving large gaps.
Spread the minced meat over them.
Arrange the remaining eggplants over the meat.
Pour in all the béchamel and smooth the surface.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a little olive oil.
Bake at 180°C with top and bottom heat for 40-50 minutes.
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