Moussaka

A close up of food on a plate, with Moussaka

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4.91 from 22 votes

A great make-ahead party pleaser Mediterranean dish of eggplant and flavored ground meat topped with béchamel layer.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Egyptian, Greek, Mediterranean

Servings: servings

Calories: 413.3kcal

Author: Amira

Ingredients

3 pounds 1.4 KG eggplant, sliced into 1cm thickness and cooked in the oven.
2 jalapeño peppers optional, I cook them in the oven with the eggplant. Note1

For Ground meat mixture: Note2

1 Tablespoon olive oil.
1 small (100g) onion diced.
1 small (100g) tomato diced
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
¾ teaspoon ground ginger.
¾ teaspoon allspice.
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste.
3 Tablespoons tomato paste.
⅓ cup beef broth/stock or water.
2 pounds (1kg) ground lamb/beef.

Bechamel Sauce:

3 cups (710 ml) milk or a mixture of milk and broth.
½ cup + 1 Tablespoon (138g) All Purpose flour.
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter.
¼ cup olive oil.
½ cup (38g) grated Parmesan cheese.
¼ teaspoon pepper.
¼ Salt to taste
1 large egg.

Instructions

Cook ground meat:

In a skillet over high heat, add oil then onion and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add ground meat, breaking it up and brown.
Add the spices and broth mix everything well together. Reduce heat and cook for about 10 more minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the Béchamel sauce:

In a pan over medium heat, add oil then butter and wait for it to melt.
Add flour and stir to cook for about 1 minute.
Gradually add milk/broth whisking regularly until no lumps are visible.
Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens, season with salt and pepper then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg and Parmesan cheese and mix everything well.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Put half the eggplants in the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe dish then top with the meat mixture. Add the jalapeño if using.
Top that with the remaining eggplant then pour the béchamel sauce over and spread evenly. Note3
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top.

Video

Notes

Note1: I love my moussaka hot, so I use jalapeño peppers for that. You can spice up the meat sauce instead with some cayenne peppers. I put my jalapeño whole because it is only me who eat it and I do not want other members of the family to get it under their bite by accident. If all your guests love spicy food, you can dice the jalapeño and mix in the meat sauce.
Note2: Some people add other spices as well. Oregano, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves…etc.
Note3: Some people spread Parmesan cheese, panko or original breadcrumbs on top for more crunch.

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Nutrition