Moussaka
Moussaka is Greece's iconic baked comfort casserole. Layers of tender sliced eggplants (and often potatoes) are layered with a richly spiced minced lamb or beef sauce seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, and red wine, topped with a thick, golden blanket of velvety egg-enriched béchamel sauce.
Salting and roasting the sliced eggplants before assembling removes excess water so the casserole bakes firm rather than soggy. The spiced meat sauce is reduced until thick and glossy, while the béchamel is enriched with egg yolks and grated Kefalotyri cheese to create a golden, soufflé-like top crust.
Allow the baked moussaka to rest for at least 25 to 30 minutes before slicing into neat squares. Serve warm alongside a crisp Greek salad with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.
If you appreciate classic Greek dishes, you may also enjoy exploring our authentic Souvlaki.
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Ingredients
- Aubergines (in centimetre slices)3 pieces
- Potatoes (thinly sliced)2 pieces
- Minced lamb or beef600 g
- Onion1 piece
- Garlic3 cloves
- Tinned tomatoes400 g
- Dry red wine120 ml
- Cinnamon1 tsp
- Butter80 g
- Plain flour80 g
- Milk700 ml
- Egg yolks2 pieces
- Kefalotyri or parmesan (grated)80 g
- Olive oil60 ml
- Salt, pepper, nutmegTo taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
6 stepsInteractive Cook Mode: Click any step or circle to check it off as you cook.
Salt the aubergine slices and leave them in a colander for half an hour, then pat them dry. Brush with oil and roast at 200 °C for twenty minutes until soft and golden.
Fry the onion until soft, add the mince and cook, breaking up the lumps, until every drop of water has gone and the meat starts to brown. Pour in the wine and let it cook away.
Add the garlic, tomatoes and cinnamon and simmer for twenty minutes. The sauce is right when a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a track behind it.
Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Pour in warm milk in a thin stream, whisking without stopping, and cook to the thickness of soured cream. Off the heat, add nutmeg, the yolks and half the cheese.
Layer it up: potato, aubergine, meat sauce, aubergine again. Pour the béchamel over and scatter the rest of the cheese.
Bake at 180 °C for forty-five minutes until the top is golden. Let it stand for half an hour before cutting: hot moussaka does not slice, it slumps.
👨🍳 Chef's Culinary Notes
Cultural Heritage
While eggplant and meat stews have existed across the Levant for centuries, the layered, béchamel-topped version was developed in the 1920s by Nikolaos Tselementes, a French-trained Greek chef who sought to modernize traditional Hellenic cooking.
Dietary Substitutions
Ground lean beef works wonderfully if minced lamb is too strong. Sliced zucchini can be layered alongside the eggplants.
Chef Technique Tips
Do not cut the moussaka straight out of the oven! Letting it rest allows the béchamel to set and the layers to compress, producing beautiful, clean restaurant-style slices.
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