Greek Moussaka
by Tavolino
A classic Greek comfort dish featuring layers of tender eggplant and a rich, spiced meat sauce, topped with a thick, creamy egg-enriched béchamel sauce and baked until golden.
Ingredients
- eggplant 1 kg
- salt 1 tsp
- olive oil 2-3 tbsp
- ground beef or lamb 500 g
- onion 1, chopped
- garlic 2 cloves, minced
- tomato paste 2 tbsp
- canned crushed tomatoes 400 g
- dried oregano 1 tsp
- cinnamon 0.5 tsp
- butter 50 g
- flour 50 g
- milk 500 ml
- eggs 2
- breadcrumbs 0.5 cup
Preparation
- 1
Slice 1 kg eggplant into 1 cm thick rounds, sprinkle with salt, and let them sit for 30 minutes to draw out moisture.
- 2
Rinse the eggplant slices, pat them dry, and brush with 2-3 tbsp olive oil.
- 3
Place eggplant on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C until softened, about 20 minutes.
- 4
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 1 chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves until soft.
- 5
Add 500 g ground beef or lamb to the pan and brown the meat thoroughly.
- 6
Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste, 400 g canned crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp dried oregano, and 0.5 tsp cinnamon.
- 7
Simmer the meat sauce on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened.
- 8
Melt 50 g butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 9
Whisk in 50 g flour and cook for 1 minute.
- 10
Gradually pour in 500 ml milk while whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.
- 11
Remove from heat and whisk in 2 eggs until smooth.
- 12
Grease a baking dish and sprinkle the bottom with 0.5 cup breadcrumbs.
- 13
Layer half the eggplant into the dish, cover with the meat sauce, then top with the remaining eggplant.
- 14
Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top layer.
- 15
Bake in the oven at 180°C for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- 16
Let the moussaka rest for 15 minutes before serving.