This Traditional Greek Eggplant Moussaka with ground beef is a delicious dish perfect for a nice dinner. The combination of eggplant, ground beef, and a rich, spicy tomato sauce, topped with a creamy béchamel sauce, explodes in flavor with every bite.
Moussaka is known as a delicious Greek layered dish where the flavors of eggplant, ground beef, and tomato sauce come together perfectly. Traditionally, minced lamb is often used, which is very tasty, but for budgetary reasons (and because it is easier to buy), I used minced beef. And that is so good.
The great thing about this dish is that you can prepare it in advance. Feel free to make it a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Then you only have to put it in the oven for an hour before dinner, and meanwhile, you can enjoy your company.
Tips
- By sprinkling the eggplant with salt and letting it sit for a while, you extract the moisture from the vegetable slices and fry them until nicely browned.
- Add the flour to the melted butter all at once, and you will not get lumps in your sauce. Ensure you fry this flour-butter mixture for about 2 minutes to cook the flour and prevent a floury taste.
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📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
This Traditional Greek Eggplant Moussaka with ground beef is a delicious dish perfect for a nice dinner. The combination of eggplant, ground beef, and a rich, spicy tomato sauce, topped with a creamy béchamel sauce, explodes in flavor with every bite.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅛ inch (¼ cm) thick slices
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, squeezed
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 14½ oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup grated cheese
Instructions
- Cut the eggplants into about ½ inch (1 cm) thick slices and sprinkle them with salt. Place them on a rack or in a colander and let them drain for 30 minutes. Rinse them with water and pat dry with paper towels.2 eggplants
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (if you want to eat the Moussaka immediately, otherwise omit this step).
- Grease a 8 x 10 inch (20 x 26 cm) baking dish with oil.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the eggplant on both sides until light brown and soft. Let drain on a plate on some kitchen paper.3 tablespoons olive oil
- Add oil to the pan again, and fry the potato slices until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.2 pounds potatoes
- Heat a frying pan on fire and add a tablespoon of oil.
- Fry the onion and tomato paste for about 3 minutes until the onion changes color, and then add the garlic. Let it fry for 30 seconds.2 onions, ¼ cup tomato paste, 2 cloves garlic
- Put the ground beef in the pan and fry until brown and loose.2 pounds ground beef
- Then add the can of tomatoes and the wine, stir well, and place the bay leaf on top. Season with salt and pepper.14½ oz. diced tomatoes, 1 cup red wine, 1 bay leaf
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and put the lid on the pan.
- Let it simmer for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue cooking until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.3 tablespoons butter
- Add the flour all at once while continuing to stir.4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fry the flour-butter mixture thoroughly for about 2 minutes.2 cups milk
- Then, pour in the milk while continuing to stir. Add some milk if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Turn off the heat and stir the egg yolk and grated cheese into the béchamel sauce.1 egg yolk, ⅓ cup grated cheese
- Take the baking dish and place half the potatoes on the bottom and then a layer of eggplant.
- Pour the ground beef tomato sauce on top of the eggplants.
- Place the rest of the potatoes and the eggplants again on the minced meat-tomato sauce.
- Divide the béchamel sauce over the Moussaka.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown.
Notes
1. Red wine: Use a full-bodied red wine with a deep flavor. A lovely Greek wine is also a good choice, as is a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux. If you don't like or want to use wine, replace it with extra stock or tomato juice. The sauce will then have a slightly different taste.
2. Ground beef: This can also be replaced with minced lamb or ground chicken.
3. Potatoes: If you want to make it easy for yourself, you can also use potato slices from the refrigerator compartment.
4. Storage:
Not baked
- Refrigerator: Store covered in the fridge for up to 1 day. Let the Moussaka come to room temperature (about 30–60 minutes) before baking it.
- Refrigerator: Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Wrap in two layers of plastic wrap. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
- To reheat: Sprinkle the top with two tablespoons of water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30–45 minutes (depending on the size of your leftover Moussaka) at 320 °F (160 °C).
Nutrition
Calories: 621kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 28gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 322mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 531IUVitamin C: 34mgIron: 5mg
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