Greek Moussaka recipe – A delicious taste of Greece

This dish is traditional, very old Greek recipe! Creamy, juicy and absolutely delicious. Greek moussaka is one of the most popular dishes in Greece, served in almost every tavern and prepared in every household on special occasions and big family meals and for good reason! Simply irresistible! With this step-by-step traditional Greek Moussaka recipe, you can easily recreate this traditional delight from scratch! So go ahead, indulge yourself in this little sin.

This easy to follow Greek moussaka recipe never fails to impress. The essence of this traditional Greek moussaka recipe can be summarised in three key stages: preparing the meat filling, preparing the béchamel sauce and cooking the eggplants!

Greek Moussaka recipe – Prepare the meat sauce

The traditional Greek moussaka recipe calls for either minced lamb or a mix of lamb and beef. But if you can’t handle its strong flavour and prefer a lighter version try substituting with good quality minced beef or veal, or in some parts pork mince. To prepare the meat sauce for this moussaka recipe, the ground beef is sautéed in olive oil, flavoured with onions and garlic and then simmered in red wine and tomato sauce.

The aromatic herbs and spices used in the traditional moussaka recipe penetrate the meat and give a really characteristic taste and smell which permeates the house, once put in the oven. Are you a vegetarian? Not to worry, there is always a way to enjoy this delicious dish!

Greek Moussaka recipe – Prepare the Béchamel sauce

The creamy béchamel sauce is the essential part and probably the trickiest part too. To achieve the perfect texture for your béchamel sauce, add the milk (preferably lukewarm) a little bit at a time whilst constantly stirring. The perfect béchamel sauce for your dish should be smooth and creamy.

The key is to whisk the sauce constantly to allow each time the flour to absorb the milk so that it doesn’t get lumpy. Cook the sauce over medium-low heat in order to prevent it from burning and sticking on the bottom of the pan, until you can’t taste the flour and is thick enough.

Greek Moussaka recipe – Prepare the vegetables

The base for a traditional moussaka is most commonly fried eggplants. Some moussaka recipes also use sliced potatoes, so if you like potatoes, try adding a layer of sliced potatoes as the first layer to this amazing dish for some extra comfort during the winter months. The traditional Greek moussaka recipe calls for fried eggplants (and potatoes), but for a lighter alternative, try drizzling the aubergines (and potatoes) with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them. Some eggplants may be bitter, so it is very important to remove the bitterness by seasoning with salt and letting them stand for half an hour in a colander.

Base ingredients

– 6 eggplants or potatoes
– vegetable oil (for frying the eggplants)

For the meat sauce

– 750g minced beef or lamb (26 ounces)
– 2 red onions (chopped)
– 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
– 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g / 14 oz.)
– 2 tbsp tomato puree
– 1 teaspoon sugar
– 1 glass of red wine
– sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 1 bay leaf
– a pinch of cinnamon or one cinnamon stick
– 1/4 of a cup olive oil

For the béchamel sauce

– 900ml milk (3 and 1/2 cups)
– 120g butter (3.5 ounces)
– 120g flour (3.5 ounces)
– a pinch of nutmeg
– 2 egg yolks
– 100g Parmigiano-Reggiano or Kefalotyri (3.5 ounces)

Instructions

1. Remove the stalks from the eggplants and cut them into slices, 1 cm thick. Season with salt and place in a colander for about half an hour. Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water and squeeze with your hands, to get rid of the excessive water. Pat them dry and fry in plenty of oil, until nicely coloured. Place the fried eggplants on some paper, in order to absorb the oil. (For a lighter version of the traditional Greek moussaka try drizzling the aubergines with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them).

2. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté, until softened and slightly coloured. Stir in the garlic, tomato puree and the mince breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté. Put in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.

3. Prepare the béchamel sauce for the moussaka. Use a large pan to melt some butter over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in a steady stream; keep whisking in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat while continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the grated cheese. Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette!

4. You will need a large baking dish (approx. 20*30 cm). Butter the bottom and sides of the pan and layer the eggplants. Pour in the meat sauce and even out. Add a second layer of eggplants, top with the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.

5. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake the moussaka in a 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 for a while before cutting into pieces.

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