Middle Eastern Cuisine
Moussaka - Layered Baked Eggplant Moussaka with Savory Cream Sauce
Prep
30 min
Cook
60 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Moussaka is a layered eggplant pie with spiced ground meat and a smooth, savory bechamel sauce poured over the top, baked until the surface turns a beautiful golden brown. This classic Mediterranean dish has a creamy texture on top and a rich filling inside, making it perfect for a special dinner. Every bite offers a combination of tender eggplant, cinnamon-spiced meat, and a creamy layer that melts in your mouth.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 6
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 3 large purple eggplants
- 400 grams ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 100 ml beef stock
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- 50 grams all-purpose flour
- 500 ml full-cream milk
- 80 grams grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) thick pieces, sprinkle with a little salt, and let sit for 15 minutes to draw out the bitter liquid. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
- 2 Grill or lightly fry the eggplant slices with a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet until both sides are golden brown and soft. Set aside.
- 3 Sauté the onion and garlic with the remaining olive oil until fragrant and translucent.
- 4 Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until it changes color and there are no lumps left.
- 5 Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well, pour in the beef stock, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until the liquid reduces and the flavors are absorbed. Set aside.
- 6 Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and stir quickly to form a thick paste, about 1-2 minutes.
- 7 Pour in the milk little by little while continuously stirring so it doesn't clump, and cook until thickened and gently bubbling.
- 8 Remove from heat, add the nutmeg and half of the Parmesan cheese, and stir well. Once slightly cooled, whisk in the beaten egg quickly so it doesn't curdle.
- 9 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Arrange in a baking dish: a layer of eggplant, then a layer of the spiced meat, repeating until the ingredients are used up, ending with a layer of eggplant on top.
- 10 Pour the bechamel sauce evenly over the top layer, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- 11 Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving so the layers hold together neatly.
💡 Tips
• Salt the eggplant and let it sit before cooking to remove its bitterness and keep the texture from becoming soggy when baked.
• Make sure to stir the bechamel sauce continuously while adding the milk so the result is smooth without any flour lumps.
• Let the moussaka rest for at least 10 minutes after coming out of the oven so the layers set and can be sliced neatly.
• It can be prepared a day ahead and baked the next day — the flavors actually deepen even more.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
420
Calories (kcal)
22 g
Protein
28 g
Fat
20 g
Carbs
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