Moussaka recipe: layers of eggplant, potatoes, and a spiced meat sauce nestled in between. Comfort food, Greek-style!
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What is Moussaka
The epitome of Greek comfort food, moussaka is basically a hearty eggplant casserole with a juicy, flavor-packed meat sauce. Topping the meat is either a rich bechamel sauce– a French influence that was introduced later–or, as in today’s Moussaka recipe, a cheese-based topping.
The variations in moussaka recipes go beyond the topping. Some recipes even call for layers of other vegetables like zucchini squash; but more commonly, a layer of thinly sliced potatoes.
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Other Mediterranean countries have moussaka variations as well. Egyptian moussaka– adapted from our Greek neighbors– has fried eggplant with minced beef, all smothered in red sauce (no additional topping.) And there is a vegan moussaka, one with eggplant and green peppers as in this Turkish-inspired eggplant dish.
But today, my mind went to the moussaka I had a few years ago in a small family-owned restaurant on the Greek Island of Patmos. So after reviewing several recipes, I came up with today’s mousska.
My clever husband made this observation: moussaka to the Greeks is like shepherd’s pie to the Americans! Just like shepherd’s pie, moussaka is a satisfying casserole that is a meal in itself. You can simply add a side salad and call it dinner.
Here is the step-by-step for today’s moussaka recipe:
(Video and Printable Recipe Below)
Spread the eggplant slices in one layer and sprinkle with salt. Let set for 30 minutes to “sweat out” its bitterness.
Pat the eggplant slices dry and assemble in one layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Place the baking sheet on the top oven rack and broil briefly, turning over so that both sides of the eggplant are softened and golden brown (do not worry if parts of the eggplant are slightly charred, but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn). Remove from the oven and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Cook the onions on medium heat until they turn slightly golden brown, stirring regularly (about 5 minutes). Now add the ground lamb. Cook the lamb until fully browned, tossing regularly. Drain the lamb from any excess fat and return back to the skillet. Now add the dried oregano, ground cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and hot paprika. Stir to coat the meat with the spices. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute to reduce. Stir in the canned tomatoes, sugar and broth. Simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, boil the sliced potatoes in plenty of water until they are completely soft and easily breakable (about 5-7 minutes). Drain the water and set the potatoes aside briefly.
To prepare the cheese topping, whisk the Greek yogurt with the eggs and flour. Add the ricotta and feta cheese and whisk again to combine.
When ready, lightly oil a 9 1/2″ x 13″ oven-safe baking pan. Layer the eggplant slices on the bottom. Add the meat sauce and spread to cover the eggplant. Layer the potato slices to cover the meat sauce and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Finally spread the cheese topping to thinly cover the potatoes.
Bake in the 350 F degree-heated oven for 45 minutes. If you need to, transfer the baking pan to the top rack and broil briefly so that the top of the moussaka gains a nice golden brown color (watch carefully). Remove from the heat and let sit 5-7 minutes before cutting through into squares to serve. Enjoy!
Moussaka: Eggplant Casserole
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Prep Time: 20 mins -
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
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Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
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Yield: 12 pieces -
Category: Entree -
Method: Baked -
Cuisine: Greek
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Greek Moussaka is a tasty, hearty eggplant casserole. Layers of eggplant, potatoes, and a spiced meat sauce nestled in between.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch-thick slices, end slices discarded
- Salt
- Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground lamb (or beef)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp paprika or hot paprika
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 14 oz can diced tomato
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup hot beef broth
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled, very thinly sliced lengthwise
- water
- 4 tbsp dried bread crumbs
Cheese Topping
- 3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 tbsp allpurpose flour
- 1/2 cup reduced fat ricotta (cream cheese would work if you prefer)
- 3 oz crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Spread the eggplant slices in one layer and sprinkle with salt. Let set for 30 minutes to “sweat out” its bitterness.
- Pat the eggplant slices dry and assemble in one layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Place the baking sheet on the top oven rack and broil briefly, turning over so that both sides of the eggplant are softened and golden brown (do not worry if parts of the eggplant are slightly charred, but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn). Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Cook the onions on medium heat until they turn slightly golden brown, stirring regularly (about 5 minutes). Now add the ground lamb. Cook the lamb until fully browned, tossing regularly. Drain the lamb from any excess fat and return back to the skillet. Now add the dried oregano, ground cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and hot paprika. Stir to coat the meat with the spices. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute to reduce. Stir in the canned tomatoes, sugar and broth. Simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the meantime, boil the sliced potatoes in plenty of water until they are completely soft and easily breakable (about 5-7 minutes). Drain the water and set the potatoes aside briefly.
- To prepare the cheese topping, whisk the Greek yogurt with the eggs and flour. Add the ricotta and feta cheese and whisk again to combine.
- When ready, lightly oil a 9 1/2″ x 13″ oven-safe baking pan. Layer the eggplant slices on the bottom. Add the meat sauce and spread to cover the eggplant. Layer the potato slices to cover the meat sauce and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Finally spread the cheese topping to thinly cover the potatoes.
- Bake in the 350 F degree-heated oven for 45 minutes. If you need to, transfer the baking pan to the top rack and broil briefly so that the top of the moussaka gains a nice golden brown color (watch carefully).
- Remove from the heat and let sit 5-7 minutes before cutting through into squares to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Prepare ahead note: you can prepare and cook the eggplant, meat sauce, and potatoes (steps 1-5) the day before or even a couple days in advance. Place each in its own tightly-shut container and store in the fridge. The day you are ready to serve the moussaka, bring the ingredients to room temperature. Prepare the cheese topping, then assemble the moussaka in an oven-safe dish and bake (steps 6-9).
- Recommended for this recipe: Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil. SAVE! Try our Greek Olive Oil Bundle.
- Recommended for this recipe: Sweet paprika and nutmeg. SAVE! Try our ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle or Create your own 6-pack or 3-pack from our all-natural or organic spice collections.
Keywords: Moussaka, Greek Moussaka, Eggplant Casserole, Greek Eggplant Casserole, Moussaka Recipe
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Dorothy London says
I made the moussaka last night for the first time. It was so delicious. My husband said he wouldn’t like it because he doesn’t like eggplant, and he liked it very much. Our guests all loved it. Thank you for the recipe. I used the cream cheese instead of the ricotta and it was delicious. This was the best moussaka I’ve ever had.
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Dorothy, thank you so much for taking the time to share! Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it…even those who don’t love eggplant 🙂
Shelly says
First time making this recipe, and used ground beef instead of ground lamb. The dish was delicious and big hit at the dinner table. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Awesome, Shelly! Beef will work just as well here. Thanks for sharing!
Nasim says
I made it. People who hated Egg plant they didn’t even notice it was there, till she saw it( i peeled the eggplant).
Amazing dish. I made for my office lunch, everybody thoroughly enjoyed it except one person(minority)
Thank you for such a detailed and amazing recipe.
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
That’s awesome, Nasim! thank you for sharing!
AnneMarie Andux says
I love your recipe, they make me want to try different types of vegetables. My mothers family is from Sicily and even though I was introduced to eggplant as a child, I never would eat it. This recipe looks delicious, though. I do have a question though–is there any way for you to let us know the amount of total carbs are in your recipes? I am a type 1 diabetic and do carb counting to keep my bloodsugars in line.
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Hi Anne Marie, you should now see a nutrition information label at the bottom of the recipe. Thank you for your question!
Sarah says
Does the eggplant casserole freeze well? I cook for one and don’t want it to go to waste.
Suzy Karadsheh says
Hi Sarah, yes! You can absolutely freeze any leftovers. You can cut up the casserole once it cools and freeze the pieces so that you can access however many pieces you want at a time. Enjoy!
Sarah says
This dish was so tasty!!!! I was looking for something different to try and I stumbled upon this website which I LOVE, and I decided to give this a try. The instructions were very easy and I followed them exactly. My husband is from Morocco and he also loved this! 🙂
Suzy Karadsheh says
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it!
Mellie Tonogan says
I don’t cook with wine is there a substitute?
Suzy Karadsheh says
You can use a little broth and a very little bit of some wine vinegar.
marco says
vinegar
Amanda says
I just made this for dinner. I got all they way to the end and forgot to add the bread crumbs but it was still tasty.
I told my kids it was Shepherds Pie so that they would try it and they loved it! Afterwards, I broke the news that they had just eaten eggplant and they no idea. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks!
★★★★★
Admin says
That’s awesome, Amanda! What a clever trick! And hopefully you’ll be making it again!
Monica says
Absolutely delish! Things I will do next time (and there WILL be a next time!!): slice my eggplant thicker, slice the potatoes thinner, skip the sugar added at the end of the lamb. (don’t know why mine was so sweet – I used a Cabernet, so maybe I did something wrong) . The pictures were helpful as I would have not broiled the eggplant that long – so thanks for that. Lastly, I would double (never double but make twice) the cheese mixture and use cream cheese over ricotta – my topping came out dry (prolly me again). The directions were well thought out and easy to follow. I am pretty good at timing so I could broil, saute and make the cheese mixture all in good time. The BEST part of cooking this dish was adding the spices to the meat – the fragrance was just beautiful – the best moment! I just ate two servings and it’s such a healthy dish -I don’t feel guilty – lolz. THANK YOU THANK YOU!
★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Monica, thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate you taking the time to write and share your experience. And so glad you loved it!!! Hope you find other recipes to try.
~Chrissie says
I forgot how much I love Moussaka! Your meat sauce is just about identical to the sauce I use for Pastitsio! 🙂 I’ve heard some folks say, “Eggplant? Ew…” but I especially appreciated that you made note of the need to salt and sweat the eggplant. I think folks who think they don’t like it have probably skipped that step – makes all the difference!! Your Moussaka recipe is the first I’ve seen that uses that delicious cheese/egg custard for the top, rather than a Bechamel; SOOOOOO GOOD! As in, I could see putting that on just about any veggie and baking it! Hmmm… visions of potatoes, or cauliflower, or…!
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Thank you so much for giving this a try, Chrissie! I am so happy you enjoyed it. And you’re right, the topping could easily be used with other veggie casseroles!
Desirée says
I made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! Thank you.
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Desiree, I am so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
TimedEating says
Lovely post and recipe – such a traditional moussaka but treated with such love! I recently started making a bit of a riff on a much lighter Moussaka where you change the spicing a bit and subsititute a tahini crust for the becahmel sauce – though I go a little rogue and throw in some shiitake mushrooms as well. In any case – really enjoyed reading your blog and I’ll be back 🙂
Here’s the recipe for the tahini crusted moussake if you’re interested! – http://timedeating.co.uk/the-lighter-middle-eastern-cottage-pie-spiced-beef-aubergine-and-a-tahini-crust/
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Thank you. The topping in this recipe is actually not bechamel, it’s a traditional Greek topping with cheese and milk. Although I enjoy the bechamel version as well. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Candace Jordan says
I agree with Amy R. Though I used beef rather than lamb, it was beautifully seasoned; very rich with a depth of savory and aromatic spices. I also agree that much more salt could be used in the dish, perhaps in the potato and cheese layers. I also think the dish could have been more moist, and bound together more. I think these things which might otherwise seem minor felt larger because the recipe was very involved. I’m looking forward to trying the eggplant parm next! Thanks for keeping the recipes coming!
★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Candace, great feedback! I love that you’d adapt this recipe to your own taste adding more salt. It is one of the more involved ones, and I kept it very true to tradition here. It is not the type of casserole where it’s elements are bound together the way you might like, though. The eggplant parm is great!
Amy R says
Made this dish today. What a labor of love! Lamb was seasoned beautifully. Good enough to eat on its own. Hubby loved but we both agreed that it could have used a little salt.
★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Hi Amy. Thanks so much for stopping in and sharing your feedback! Moussaka is such comfort food. I am so glad you and your hubby liked it!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Suzy! This moussaka looks absolutely gorgeous! My greek friend visited me a couple of weeks back and we made moussaka – and finished up every bit of it! 🙂
Suzy Karadsheh says
Thank you so much, Felicia! Ya, isn’t moussaka just great! Better with a friend, I’m sure.
GiGi Eats says
Get this in my mouth – STAT!
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
I know, GiGi! It is sooo good! Promise. Good to see you here!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I didn’t grow up with this as a family meal but as an adult I’ve grown to love it and it’s the most wonderful comfort food. Yours is beautiful!!
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Thank you, Maureen! It is one of those casseroles that you can’t help but love.
Shari Karanas says
Before my husband and I were married, he made this for me. OMG, any man who can cook this good needs to be my husband!! LOL! During both my pregnancies I craved Moussaka! SOOOO yummy! He also bakes his eggplant instead frying, which makes for a healthier Moussaka. Happy Birthday Suzy. 🙂
★★★★★
Suzy Karadsheh says
Shari, thank you for sharing! I take it your husband wooed you with moussaka 🙂 You’re right, any man who can cook is a keeper! Thank you for the kind birthday wishes!
Amanda says
I am definitely making this recipe this weekend! Also, we are birthday twins! Hope you have a great day!
Suzy Karadsheh says
Awesome, Amanda! Happy birthday to you as well!
Mary Frances says
Never heard of Moussaka, but it sounds and looks fabulous!!
Suzy Karadsheh says
It is great, Mary! If you ever try it, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts!