Moussaka, authentic, traditional recipe (Baked layered eggplants)

Moussaka, the king of Greek dishes, is a rich, layered casserole with eggplant, ground meat in tomato sauce, and creamy béchamel. The procedure is similar to the pasticcio, only that you replace pasta with vegetables, mostly eggplants.

It’s not the quickest recipe, but it’s soooo worth it! Set aside time or plan ahead—you’ll need to prepare the meat sauce, veggies, and béchamel.

Alternatively, cut the vegetables in small cubes like in my Easy and light version of moussaka.

Ingredients

Vegetables:

·       2–3 eggplants (or 5–6 if no other veggies),
·       2–3 zucchinis (optional),
·       2–3 large potatoes (optional)

Meat Sauce:

·       750g (1.5 lb) ground veal (or half veal, half pork),
·       1 diced onion,
·       400g (14 oz) canned or 3 ripe quality tomatoes,
·       4 tbsp chopped parsley,
·       1 cup water

Béchamel:

·       1L milk,
·       1 cup all-purpose flour,
·       2 tbsp butter,
·       2 eggs,
·       salt & white pepper

Cheese: 1 cup grated (mix of gruyere, parmesan & emmental)

Other: Olive oil for frying/cooking

INSTRUCTIONS (light version-no frying)

1. Slice vegetables into 1 cm pieces or small cubes. Divide between two oven dishes, using a 30×40 cm dish for the base. Season with salt, oregano, thyme, and olive oil, then bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until softened.
2. Sauté onion and ground meat, then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. For the béchamel, heat milk, flour, salt, and white pepper over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat, mix in butter, then quickly whisk in eggs.
4. Layer in the 30×40 cm dish: vegetables, meat sauce, half the cheese, more vegetables, and béchamel. Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs, then bake at 180°C for 40 minutes.

Serving tips & variations

• Serve warm with a Greek salad. 
• If you want to gain time, make the meat sauce days ago, freeze it and unfreeze the night before. 
• Cook in summer to have tasty eggplants. 
• You can make a double dose of meat sauce and make another time pastitsio.