Traditional Moussaka is on the menu today, I am taking you on a culinary journey to Greece with one of its most beloved meals. Come along and examine its intriguing past. Discover how to make this traditional meal at home. It will be difficult to locate a home or taverna that doesn’t prepare it on special occasions!

What is Moussaka?

A rich, tomatoey beef or lamb mince sauce, pan-fried potatoes and eggplants, with a creamy bechamel sauce. These are the main ingredients for making moussaka. It’s a classic Greek eggplant meal.

Traditionally, the base of moussaka is typically made with layers of sliced eggplant. However, variations of moussaka exist, and in some versions potatoes are used as a base instead of eggplants. This variation is particularly common in some regions of Greece and other Mediterranean countries. The choice of using eggplant, potatoes, or both can depend on personal preference or regional culinary traditions. It’s a way to put a personal twist on the traditional recipe or cater to individual preferences. Overall, using potatoes as a base in moussaka can enhance the dish’s texture, flavor, and versatility, offering a delicious alternative to the classic eggplant version. Honestly, it is the most popular version of the meal, found in most homes and taverns all over Greece.

The recipe I am showing you today, was passed down to me from my mother. My mother originally pan fried the eggplants, covered them with a tomatoey meat sauce and topped it with bechamel. Through the years, she switched to baking the eggplant to make them more lighter and healthier. I would like to add that potatoes did not come into play until we immigrated to the U.S.A. Potatoes were popular in the moussaka among the restaurants and home cooks in the greek community, so mom added them to her moussaka too.

Origin and History

The origins of moussaka can be traced back to the kitchens of the Ottoman Empire, where it was initially introduced as a variation of the Arabic dish musakhkhan. Over time, the Greeks embraced and adapted it, infusing their own flavors and techniques to create what we now know as moussaka. Today, it holds a special place in Greek cuisine, often served during festive occasions and family gatherings.

Moussaka Essential Preparation Steps

1. Preparing the potatoes

1. Acquire some starchy potatoes such as Marris Piper, Idaho, Yukon Gold, or Russet.
2. Peel and cut into even disks approximately 1 centimeter thick, or the thickness of your little finger.
3. To remove the remaining starch, give them a last rinse under running water.

Tip: The baking tray you use to bake the moussaka may also be used to bake the potatoes. There won’t be as many bowls to clean once you chop and arrange just the right amount of potatoes.

2. Preparing the eggplants

To begin with, you will need to purchase the largest eggplants available at your local grocery!Cut the eggplants into even disks that are almost the same thickness as your potatoes, without peeling them.After giving them a thorough water rinse to ensure the water runs clean, sprinkle them generously with salt.Finally, give them an hour to sit in a colander.

Tip: Because certain eggplants might be bitter, it’s crucial to prepare them properly. They will taste wonderfully sweet, creamy, and completely free of any bitterness once they are rinsed, salted, and given time to rest.

3. Preparing the Meat Sauce

Traditional Greek moussaka, is made with either minced lamb or a combination of lamb and beef. However, you may replace the lamb mince with high-quality beef or veal mince if you can’t manage the strong flavor of lamb, don’t like it, or just want a milder moussaka.

Fundamentally, a Bolognese sauce and a moussaka meat sauce are quite similar.Garlic, onions, and olive oil are sautéed with the ground beef.After adding some red wine to deglaze it, chopped tomatoes are cooked with it until it thickens.

4. Prepare the Bechamel sauce

A creamy bechamel sauce is a must for every classic Greek moussaka dish. Still, this is the hardest to do correctly as well! So how to achieve perfection? It all comes down to the proper thickness, continuous whisking while heating, enhancing it with cheese and eggs, and finishing with the ideal quantity of salt.

Moussaka requires a creamy, thick bechamel. A thin bechamel sauce will not give your moussaka its distinctive creamy, thick coating on top; instead, it will soak into the meat sauce! Thus, be careful to simmer your bechamel long enough to get the consistency of a thick custard.

It’s time to season and flavor your bechamel at this point. Take the skillet off of the heat source and mix in the cheese, nutmeg, and one tsp salt. Once blended, taste your bechamel and adjust the seasoning with an additional teaspoon of salt if necessary. It’s incredible to me how adding a tiny bit of salt can enhance the flavor of your bechamel and ensure that the moussaka tastes delicious throughout!

Lastly, add your egg yolks and cheese, and whisk them in rapidly to ensure the eggs are well combined with the mixture. The eggs will thicken your bechamel and give your eggplants layer a more distinct, creamy texture as your moussaka bakes!

A helpful hint is to whisk continuously as you add the milk. Your bechamel sauce will not burn or adhere to the pan’s bottom if you cook it while whisking over a low heat.

5. To assemble your Moussaka

Start by layering your potatoes at the bottom of your baking dish. Split your eggplants in two lots. You’ll need the first lot to layer over the potatoes and the second lot to cover the meat sauce. Spread the first layer of eggplants over your potatoes. If you have too few aubergines space them out a bit. If you have too many, overlap them a bit so they all fit! 

Using a large ladle or spoon, pour your meat sauce over your aubergines and spread it evenly. Spread your second eggplants layer over the meat sauce, spacing them out evenly. Finally using a large ladle add the bechamel and spread it out evenly, making sure your whole moussaka is covered!

Finally sprinkle a bit of grated cheese on top. When your moussaka is baked, the cheese will melt and give it a delicious golden brown color! Your traditional moussaka is now ready to bake or to store it in the fridge and bake it later!

GRAVIERA CHEESE

“Graviera is Greece’s second most popular cheese after Feta. The very first Graviera was produced in the country in 1914 by a cheesemaker in the Peloponnese and was based on the recipe of the Swiss Gruyère cheese (even the name itself, Graviera, is somewhat derived from Gruyère), but with one significant difference: cow’s milk was replaced by sheep and goat’s milk. Since then, the recipe has evolved and was amended, while cow’s milk was also used for certain types of the cheese, so that nowadays Greek Gravieras have no connection whatsoever with the original Swiss version”. _{Excerpt from Ambrosia Magazine}

The use of the graviera is important for the making of the bechamel. It adds just the right sweetness to the eggplant flavor. In essence, it is not really bechamel as much as a mornay sauce, which is an enriched bechamel with Gruyere cheese, the French way. But here, we are simply using graviera cheese instead, the Greek way! Worth the effort, follow my recipe and your moussaka will be ready for the oven.

Congratulations! You’ve just mastered the art of making traditional moussaka. With its layers of flavor and rich history, this iconic Greek dish is sure to become a favorite in your home. So, gather your loved ones and savor the taste of Greece with each delicious bite. Kali orexi!

Traditional Moussaka

Kastra Recipes Staff

Moussaka is a casserole made with eggplants, potatoes, beef or lamb mince meat and topped off with a creamy bechamel sauce.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 8 people

Calories 465 kcal

Ingredients

  

Base

• 5 eggplants
• 5 potatoes

Meat sauce

• 750 grams minced beef (or lamb or beef/pork combination)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 3 cloves garlic – chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 500 grams tomato passata
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice (bahari)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Bechamel sauce

• 120 ml olive oil
• 120 grams flour
• 1 liter milk
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 egg yolks
• 150 grams graviera chesse, grated

Instructions

 

Prepare Base

• Remove the stalks from the eggplants and cut them into slices, 1 cm (3/4 inch) thick. Season with salt and place in a colander for about half an hour.
• Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water, pat them dry and fry in plenty of oil, until nicely colored. Place the fried eggplants on some paper, in order to absorb the oil. (For a lighter version of the traditional Greek moussaka try drizzling the eggplants with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them). Set aside when done.
• Peel the potatoes cut them into slices 0.5 cm (1/2 inch) thick.
• Pat dry the potatoes and fry in plenty of oil, until nicely colored. Place the fried potatoes on some paper, in order to absorb the oil. (For a lighter version of the traditional Greek moussaka try drizzling the potatoes with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them). Set aside when done.
• Note: If you decide to bake instead of fry, cut the eggplant and the potato slightly thicker, they tend to shrink a bit in the oven.

Prepare Meat sauce

• Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the mince breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté. Stir in the chopped onions, add the garlic and tomato paste and sauté. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the passata, the spices and a good pinch of salt and pepper and mix. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated. Set aside when done.

Prepare Bechamel sauce

• Heat the millk and add the nutmeg, warm not boiling, Set aside when done.
• Use a large pot and place the olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste, cook it a bit until there is a nutty aroma. Depending on your stove, it should take 2 -3 minutes while you are constantly whisking. Next, with a ladle, add warm milk in a steady stream; keep whisking in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy, make sure pot is over low heat. Its consistency should resemble a thick cream.
• Remove the béchamel pot from the stove and stir in the egg yolks, salt, pepper, and most of the graviera cheese. Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top of the casserole. Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning into an omelette!  Make sure cheese is melting. Place pot back on low-medium heat for just about 5 minutes or when you see the first bubbles in the pot. Continue stirring. Take off heat. Take one ladle of béchamel and stir it in the meat sauce. Set the béchamel sauce aside.

Assemble the Moussaka

• For this moussaka recipe you will need a large baking dish, (approx. 25×32 cm or 9×13 inch and 8cm / 3 inch deep). Oil the bottom and sides of the pan and layer the potatoes first, then add half the quantity of the eggplants. Pour in all of the meat sauce and spread it out evenly. Add a second layer of eggplants, top with all of the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
• Sprinkle with the remaining graviera cheese. Preheat your oven at 180C/350F and bake your moussaka for about 60 minutes or until its crust turns light golden brown. Even though it will be really hard to do so, you should wait for the moussaka to cool down. Should be warm to the touch before cutting into pieces. This will prevent the béchamel sauce from pouring out when you’re cutting your pieces.
• Serve the Moussaka with a refreshing Traditional Greek Salad and enjoy over a glass of wine.

Keyword mousssaka, traditional greek moussaka recipe