Ultimate Moussaka
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Whether you’ve had moussaka before or this is a first time experience, you’re going to LOVE this authentic moussaka recipe with it’s incredible depth of flavor and luxuriously creamy bechamel sauce topping!
Sun-kissed white stone buildings juxtaposed against a sea of sapphire blue, the sound of old church bells chiming through the air, ancient ruins, a rich and intriguing history…..ah, Greece! Whether you’ve already been there or are still waiting, planning, dreaming…..why wait to enjoy it? Come experience Greece through your tastebuds and make this delicious authentic Moussaka recipe!
This dish was requested by one of our readers, Bethany in Michigan. She wrote in to request an excellent moussaka recipe that she could make for her family and friends and we’re confident you are all going to enjoy this as much as we do!
I’m an avid gardener and love growing all kinds of unusual and beautiful varieties of heirloom vegetables. Eggplants are one of those vegetables that are aesthetically stunning and come in a rainbow of varieties. I was never able to grow them successfully in Washington State (not hot enough) where I lived after moving to the U.S., but I’ve been growing them since moving to the South where they flourish in the hot sun. And one of things I always look forward to making when it’s eggplant season is this scrumptious moussaka.
What is Moussaka?
Moussaka is a popular and traditional Greek dish that features eggplant layered with seasoned ground meat, a rich tomato-based sauce, and often a layer of béchamel sauce on top.
This moussaka recipe is mostly authentic with a couple of twists for added flavor. Traditional moussaka uses ground lamb while most modern versions use ground beef. I took culinary license to add the additional twist of halving the ground beef with mild ground sausage. This added a wonderful flavor dimension to the dish. I took measures to optimize the flavors every step of the way while retaining the dish’s authentic integrity.
Many very traditional versions of moussaka use a layer of potatoes. Most modern versions do not which is a shame. I added the potatoes in order to create a more complete meal and they really are a great addition.
True to its traditional roots with some added flavor, this moussaka recipe will impress your dinner guests including any native Greek who may happen to come to dinner!
Can You Make Moussaka Ahead of Time?
Yes! The entire dish can be assembled a day or two in advance, kept refrigerated and then baked in the oven before serving. It’s a perfect time-saving dish for dinner parties and potlucks.
Can You Freeze Moussaka?
Yes! This moussaka recipe can be fully assembled and frozen for up to a month. No need to thaw it first, put it straight into the oven while frozen and simply increase the baking time by 20-25 minutes. Your dinner guests will never guess they’re eating a previously frozen meal and will be showering you with compliments over your fabulously-tasting meal!
Moussaka Recipe
Let’s get started!
Moussaka is definitely a labor of love. It isn’t hard to make at all, but it does involve multiple steps and does take time to make. The good news however is that moussaka is a prime example of a dish that can be made well in advance and then simply popped in the oven before serving. More on that below.
Step 1: Make the Meat Sauce
Finely dice the onions and garlic. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and brown the ground beef and sausage until no pink remains. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the seasonings, the bay leaf, and the wine. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes, or almost all of the liquid is absorbed. This is important or the casserole will be too watery. Allow the sauce to cool, and then stir in the beaten egg.
Step 2: Prep the Eggplant and Potatoes
Select two large potatoes and 2-3 eggplants, depending on size. I only ended up needing two eggplants.
Peel and slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the potato slices for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Set aside.
Using a potato peeler, peel strips of the eggplant peel off in a striped pattern. The peel on eggplants is very tough, even when fully cooked and it is difficult to cut through with a fork. Eggplant peel also becomes bitter. Peeling most of it off while leaving stripes yields tender eggplant that still retains a pretty appearance of the shiny purple peel. Cut the eggplants into 1/4 inch slices.
Lay the slices out in single layer on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. This will help prevent the final dish from being too watery.
Heat a skillet over high heat, add some of the olive oil and fry a batch of eggplant slices on both sides until lightly browned. Place the slices on fresh paper towels to soak up the oil. (Again, this is important to prevent the final dish from being too soupy). Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.
Step 3: Assemble the Moussaka
Grease a 13X9 inch casserole dish. Next we’re going to start layering.
Lay the potatoes in the casserole dish, slightly overlapping them. Next place a layer of eggplant slices over the potatoes, slightly overlapping them.
Next, spread the meat mixture evenly on top of the eggplant slices.
Place a final layer of eggplant slices on top of the meat mixture.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Save the egg whites for a different use. We’re only using the yolks.
Next we’re going to make that glorious, luxurious Bechamel Sauce!
Step 4: Make the Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat and whisk in the flour until no clumps remain. Continue whisking for another minute. While continually whisking, gradually add the milk. Then add the salt, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese. Whisk to break up and dissolve any clumps.
Slowly bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat, all the while continuing to whisk to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom.
Once the sauce has thickened, continue to simmer the sauce, while whisking, for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool.
Once the sauce has mostly cooled, whisk in the egg yolks.
Spread the bechamel sauce evenly over the final layer of eggplant slices.
Bake the moussaka uncovered in a oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes before serving. This will give it time to absorb any excess liquid.
Look at the gorgeous golden-brown bechamel topping!
Your homemade moussaka is ready!
Enjoy!
For more delicious Greek-inspired dishes, be sure to try our:
- Greek-Style Grilled Asparagus Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
- Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
- Greek Meatballs
- Greek Lemon Chicken
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Greek Burgers
- Greek Einkorn Salad
- Homemade Greek Yogurt
- Greek Seasoning
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Gyros
- Pulled Pork Gyros
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Ultimate Moussaka
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants , peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 large potatoes , peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (click link for our homemade sausage recipe!)
- 2 onions , finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 egg beaten
- Bread crumbs for bottom of casserole dish
- For the Bechamel Sauce:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- Place the eggplant slice in a single layer on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Heat a skillet over high heat, add some of the olive oil and fry a batch of eggplant slices on both sides until lightly browned. Place the slices on fresh paper towels to soak up the oil. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the potato slices. Boil for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and brown the ground beef and sausage until no pink remains. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the seasonings, the bay leaf, and the wine. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes, or almost all of the liquid is absorbed. This is important or the casserole will be too watery. Allow the sauce to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
- To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and use a wire whisk to blend it with the butter. Continue whisking for another 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the milk while continually whisking to prevent lumps. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg. Continue whisking until all clumps have dissolved (if you haven't caught on to the trend yet, this sauce requires a lot of whisking!). Continue to whisk (there we go again!) the sauce until it thickens and has simmered for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the saucepan from the burner. Allow the sauce to cool for about 20 minutes. Then whisk in the egg yolks until thoroughly blended.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle a thin, even layer of fine bread crumbs on the bottom of the dish (this will help absorb the liquid from the vegetables). Arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish. Next add a layer of eggplant slices, slightly overlapping them. Evenly spread out the meat sauce on top. Add another layer of eggplant slices and even top with the béchamel sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.
- Remove the moussaka and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the liquid in the bottom of the dish to absorb.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 13, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This was delicious
Thank you, Gloria!
Moussaka:
I made this recipe but substituted lamb for the beef and pork.
Also, when frying the eggplant, I brushed the slices with olive oil instead of adding the oil to the pan. I also made the meat sauce the day before but added the egg just before assembly. Everything else was exactly according to the recipe. It turned out great!
Fantastic, Ursula, thanks so much for the feedback!
This is absolutely the best Moussaka I have tasted. The only comment I have is that your preparation time could be increased by about an hour.
Thank you so much, Anne, I’m thrilled to hear that! I’ll take a look at the prep time ;) It’s possible that there’s a software glitch.
Can I make this the day before and heat up the next day,will it freeze? Thanks
Hi Lil D, yes to both questions :)
I’m Greek and wanted to make this. I looked up many recipes and decided this was the most authentic and easy to read and make. I’m so, so happy that I did!! Incredible recipe and flavours! Thank you 🙏 Kimberley from the bottom of my heart ♥️! Hands down the BEST Moussaka I’ve EVER had!
I am absolutely thrilled to hear that, Maria, thank you so much! ♥️
I am a purist when it comes to lamb, for me it is the ideal meat for this dish. I made this recipe using lamb. It had the authentic taste of an outdoor Greek restaurant in Souda
Bay on the northwestern coast of the Greek Island of Crete.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Don, thank you!
I had amazing moussaka at a restaurant in Thessaloniki a few years back and was looking for a recipe to match it. This is it. Full flavor and rich. Like the article notes, it’s a labor of love – cooking the meat mixture until it reduces to max out the flavors. This recipe has been copied into the family recipe books. Yum!
I am so happy to hear that, Kelly, thank you!
This was delicious and tasted just like an authentic Greek restaurant moussaka! I followed the recipe EXCEPT I only had frozen sweet potato hash browns. It was still amazing and our huge family loved it. Will have to make 2 trays next time.
NOTE: There’s a bit of confusion in steps 5 & 6, which makes it seem like there are 2 dishes: Step 5 says to sprinkle bread crumbs on bottom of dish, but step 6 says to grease the bottom of a dish. Shouldn’t this be reversed? Grease bottom first, then sprinkle bread crumbs, and then continue???
Fantastic, Jojo, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, thank you! Yes, that was worded awkwardly – I’ve clarified that step, thanks for pointing it out.