Moussaka is a casserole dish made with meat and vegetables, originating from Greek cuisine. The basic ingredients of moussaka are eggplant, tomato sauce and minced meat. The choice of additional vegetables added to it is up to you. The top of the moussaka is covered with béchamel sauce and sprinkled with cheese. Then, it goes to the oven.
When I make moussaka, I use my proven selection of vegetables. I usually choose carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and onions. I know that many people also add zucchini. For some reason, the taste of zucchini does not fit in this dish for me, so I personally do not use it.
As I have already mentioned, the basis of the moussaka is minced meat. I could make moussaka with any type of minced meat but beef works best for me. Pork is quite fatty and if you use it, the moussaka might be overflowing with grease. If you do not like beef, go for turkey minced meat instead. It meat is light, it has no fat and it will work great in this dish.
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Ingredients for moussaka.
- 1 big eggplant
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Meat filling:
- 2 medium-sized white onions
- 500 g minced beef
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon of herbs de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon of caraway powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of fresh chili pepper
- 2 medium-sized carrots
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 100 ml dry red wine (g.g. Merlot)
- 800 g chopped canned tomatoes
Other ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
- 800 g potatoes
- 500 g mushrooms
Bechamel sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 full tablespoon of flour
- 300 ml milk
- 4 tablespoons of Gouda + 3 tablespoons of sprinkling the moussaka
Additionally: sour cream for serving.
How to make moussaka.
Eggplant preparation: wash the eggplant, dry it, cut it into thin slices then salt it with 1/2 teaspoon. Leave it for 10 minutes.
Heat up a frying pan over a medium heat and once hot, fry the eggplant slices on both sides until lightly brown.
Meat filling: cut the onion into small cubes and put them in a frying pan. Add oil to it then fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes. After that, add the minced meat, sliced chili pepper, cumin and herb de Provence. Fry for 5 minutes and add sliced carrots and red wine. Continue frying for 10 minutes. Next, add canned tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Vegetables preparation: pour oil into a pan, add the sliced mushrooms. Fry them over a medium heat for 7 minutes.
Peel the potatoes, cut them into thick slices, put them in water salted with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring them to a boil. Cook for 7 minutes from the moment they start to boil. Drain the pre-cooked potatoes from the water and cool them slightly.
Béchamel sauce: put flour and butter in a small pot. Stir until the butter is melted and begins to merge with the flour. The heat should be small. When this happens, add the milk in small rivulets, stirring with a hand whisk so that no lumps are formed. Increase the heat to medium and, while stirring constantly, cook the sauce until it boils. When the sauce starts to boil, remove it from the heat, add the cheese and stir until the cheese is completely melted.
Assembling the moussaka: brush the bottom of an ovenproof dish with a little béchamel sauce. Put a layer of potatoes on it, cover it with the meat sauce and sprinkle with some of the fried mushrooms. Place some of the fried eggplant slices on top of the mushrooms. Repeat these steps several times. Place the eggplant slices on top of the moussaka, pour the béchamel sauce over it and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Put the dish in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for an hour.
After removing the moussaka from the oven, wait 10 minutes. Serve the moussaka warm with a little sour cream. You can also sprinkle it with extra cheese.
Good to know when making moussaka.
My casserole dish was rectangular and measured 20 by 30 centimetres.
I used chopped canned tomatoes. If you buy canned tomatoes which are not cut, you have to chop them.
I fry the eggplant in a non-sticky pan, so I do not add any oil for frying. If you do not have such a pan, when frying the eggplant, grease the pan with a little oil.
It is not necessary to add wine. I like the taste of the sauce after the wine has evaporated. However, if you do not have wine at home or you do not like it, simply do not use it.
I added fresh chili pepper. However, if you prefer, you can replace it with dried chili flakes or hot paprika powder. If so, be careful about the amount you add.
Do you like eggplant? If so, try our recipe for Eggplant with minced meat.
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