Greek Moussaka (sometimes spelled mussaka and mousakka) can be described as Greek eggplant lasagna with layers of tender potatoes, succulent eggplant, and a cinnamon-spiced beef or lamb filling. The final layer is a creamy béchamel sauce. It's hearty, filling, and absolutely delicious!
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Although Mousakka (mussaka) is Greece's National Dish 🇬🇷, a 13th-century cookbook titled "A Baghdad Cookery Book" suggests that mussaka originated in the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan). There is even a Turkish version called patlican mussaka.
Mussaka actually reminds me of an eggplant casserole dish we make called tepsi. Another somewhat similar dish to Greek moussaka is Italian eggplant parmesan.
Then there's the layer of béchamel sauce, which had to be borrowed from the French, don't you think? After all, béchamel is one of France's 5 mother sauces which include béchamel, velouté, Espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato sauce).
It seems to me that it took the influence of a few countries and cultures to develop the first moussaka recipe, which is fine by me. I don't mind a group effort that results in such a yummy dish, do you?
One more thing, am I the only one who can't say the word "moussaka" without My Big Fat Greek Weddings' moose caca scene popping into my head? If you haven't seen this movie, drop everything and go watch it, I'll wait here...
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Moussaka (mussaka) is relatively easy to prepare and uses simple ingredients.
- It can be prepared in a variety of ways including with or without potatoes and/or cheese.
- This yummy eggplant casserole can be prepared ahead of time and popped into the oven at a later time.
- The recipe can also be made healthier by baking the potatoes and eggplant instead of frying them. This step is done before layering them to the casserole.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Eggplant: Eggplants (aubergines) come in various shapes and sizes. You will need 2 to 3 large eggplant. Whichever way you slice them, you can peel them or leave them as is.
- Potatoes: I recommend Russet or Idaho potatoes. I like to lightly fry the slices before adding them to the casserole to enhance their flavor and to ensure they're completely cooked.
- Meat Sauce: The meat sauce is somewhat similar to spaghetti sauce but reduced until very little liquid remains and it's spiced with cinnamon. You can use ground beef or ground lamb, or a combination of the two.
- Bechamel Sauce: The béchamel sauce is prepared with milk, butter, and flour and seasoned with salt, pepper, bay leaf, and freshly grated nutmeg.
- Spices: You will need cinnamon powder (or cinnamon stick), salt, white or black pepper, and oregano. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper, but as always, the cayenne pepper is optional!
- Oil: I used olive oil to fry the potatoes and eggplant, but you can use avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Cheese: The cheese is not traditionally added but I couldn't help it! I added ½ pound of fresh mozzarella and 2 ounces of grated Asiago cheese. The cheese can also be melted into the béchamel. Feta cheese or parmesan cheese would also go great in this recipe but you may have to slightly decrease the salt in the recipe.
- Optional Ingredients: Some recipes include bread crumbs (to soak up the juices) and add egg yolks to the béchamel sauce to make it richer. I decided to leave them out.
* A complete list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🍆 How To Make Greek Moussaka
Prepare the Veggies
Step 1: Slice the eggplant into ¼" slices. Sprinkle with approximately 1½ teaspoons sea salt on both sides. Layer on a paper towel-lined baking pan. Sweat for 15 to 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: The salt will draw out the bitter flavor and extra moisture from the eggplant.
Step 2: Wash and scrub potatoes then slice into ¼" thick rounds. Season on both sides with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry potatoes for a few minutes on each side. Work in batches, and add more oil as needed. Drain on paper towels.
Pro Tip: The potatoes only need to be cooked for a few minutes because they will continue to cook in the casserole. Another option is to bake them in the oven.
Step 3: Pat the sliced eggplants with paper towels until dry. Heat a few more tablespoons of oil in the same pan and fry the eggplant on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Pro Tip: Eggplants are like sponges and will absorb as much oil as you give them which is why I use the oil sparingly, just enough to get them golden.
Prepare Meat Sauce
Step 1: Add ground beef or lamb to a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the larger pieces with a wooden spoon. Add chopped onion, garlic, and parsley, and continue to cook until browned.
Step 2: Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, wine, and seasoning. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone.
Pro Tip: If you decide to use a cinnamon stick (or part of one) be sure to remove it once the sauce has cooked down and thickened.
Prepare Creamy Bechamel Sauce
Step 1: Add a bay leaf to 2 cups of milk then heat milk either in a medium saucepan or a microwave. Melt butter in a saucepan and cook over low heat until golden. Sprinkle flour into the pan and quickly whisk until smooth. Continue to cook the roux for a few minutes until nutty and golden brown.
Step 2: Pour milk into the pan and whisk continuously until the bechamel sauce is smooth and no lumps remain. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg, and stir to combine. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf!
Assemble Moussaka
Step 1: Coat a disposable 9x13x4 inch-deep casserole pan with 1 teaspoon of butter or use cooking spray. Layer the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the meat and sauce mixture. Add mozzarella, if using, and half of the eggplant.
Step 2: Add the remaining meat, using a slotted spoon in case there's still too much liquid in the sauce. Top with the remaining eggplant slices.
Pro Tip: The reason you don't want to include the liquid is that unlike lasagna, where the noodles can absorb most of the sauce, there's only so much liquid that eggplant and potatoes can absorb. This will leave too much liquid in the pan and make the mussaka hard to slice and serve.
Step 3: Sprinkle the eggplant with shredded Asiago cheese then pour the creamy béchamel sauce over the eggplant.
Pro Tip: You can easily add the entire block of Asiago cheese and even double the bechamel sauce, especially if calories are not a concern!
Baking Instructions (Preheat oven to 375°F)
Carefully place the casserole pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any overflowing juices. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly, and the top layer starts to brown.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
Allow the moussaka to rest for 20 to 30 minutes so that it doesn't fall apart when you serve it. Slice and serve with creamy Greek pasta salad, tabouli, or this delicious Greek cucumber salad. And some pita bread to soak up the juices wouldn't hurt!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The name mussaka is actually derived from the Arabic word "musaqqâ" which means "chilled." This may refer to the dish not being served piping hot which helps the layers to set.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes mussaka as a Middle Eastern dish of layered eggplant and seasoned beef or lamb.
The top layer of Greek moussaka is made of béchamel sauce. The sauce consists of roux (a mixture of butter and flour). Milk or cream is whisked with the roux to make a rich white sauce. Sometimes egg yolks and cheese are stirred into the sauce to make it even richer. The sauce is then seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Moussaka is traditionally made with sliced and layered aubergines or eggplants. A delicious meaty sauce made with ground beef or lamb is tucked between the eggplant layers. The moussaka is then drizzled with béchamel sauce and baked until golden. Sometimes a layer of potatoes is also added.
Although moussaka and lasagna are both layered casseroles they are not the same. Lasagna is prepared with layers of noodles, meat sauce, and cheese while moussaka is layered with sliced eggplant, meat sauce, and béchamel sauce.
Moussaka can be frozen both before baking and after. You'll want to defrost it in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, before baking or reheating it.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- I don't peel the potatoes and eggplant before frying them because they add more flavor and fiber. However, peel away if you'd like!
- Another healthier option is to bake the eggplant in the oven instead of frying them. All you have to do is spray them with non-stick cooking spray and bake them for 10 minutes on each side at 400 degrees F.
- Try substituting zucchini for eggplant. Make sure to sweat the zucchini slices similar to the steps used in this recipe to remove the excess moisture.
- If you have extra sauce left don't toss it! Enjoy it over pasta instead.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
🧆 Related Recipes
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice the eggplant into ¼" slices. Sprinkle with approximately 1½ teaspoons sea salt on both sides. Layer on a paper towel-lined baking pan. Sweat for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Wash and scrub potatoes then slice into ¼" thick rounds. Season on both sides with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry potatoes for a few minutes on each side. Work in batches, and add more oil as needed. Drain on paper towels.
- Pat the sliced eggplants with paper towels until dry. Heat a few more tablespoons of oil in the same pan and fry the eggplant on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels.
- Add ground beef or lamb to a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the larger pieces with a wooden spoon. Add chopped onion, garlic, and parsley, and continue to cook until browned.
- Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, wine, and seasoning. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone.
- Add a bay leaf to 2 cups of milk then heat milk either in a medium saucepan or a microwave. Melt butter in a saucepan and cook over low heat until golden. Sprinkle flour into the pan and quickly whisk until smooth. Continue to cook the roux for a few minutes until nutty and golden brown.
- Pour milk into the pan and whisk continuously until the bechamel sauce is smooth and no lumps remain. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg, and stir to combine. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf!
- Coat a disposable 9x13x4 inch-deep casserole pan with 1 teaspoon of butter or use cooking spray. Layer the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the meat and sauce mixture. Add mozzarella, if using, and half of the eggplant.
- Add the remaining meat, using a slotted spoon in case there's still too much liquid in the sauce. Top with the remaining eggplant slices.
- Sprinkle the eggplant with shredded Asiago cheese then pour the creamy béchamel sauce over the eggplant.
- Preheat oven to 375°FCarefully place the casserole pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any overflowing juices. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly, and the top layer starts to brown.
- Allow the moussaka to rest for 20 to 30 minutes so that it doesn't fall apart when you serve it. Slice and serve with creamy Greek pasta salad, tabouli, and pita bread to soak up the juices.
Nutrition
Notes
- The reason we salt the eggplant slices is that the salt will draw out the bitter flavor and extra moisture from the eggplant.
- Eggplants are like sponges and will absorb as much oil as you give them which is why I use the oil sparingly, just enough to get them golden.
- The potatoes only need to be cooked for a few minutes because they will continue to cook in the casserole. Another option is to bake them in the oven.
- I don't peel the potatoes and eggplant before frying them because they add more flavor and fiber. However, peel away if you'd like!
- Another healthier option is to bake the eggplant in the oven instead of frying them. All you have to do is spray them with non-stick cooking spray and bake them for 10 minutes on each side at 400 degrees F.
- If you decide to use a cinnamon stick (or part of one) be sure to remove it once the sauce has cooked down and thickened.
- The reason you don't want to add too much sauce to the casserole is that unlike lasagna, where the noodles can absorb the sauce, there's only so much that eggplant and potatoes can absorb. This will leave too much liquid in the pan and make the mussaka hard to slice and serve.
- Try substituting zucchini for eggplant. Just follow the same procedure to sweat the zucchini slices first to remove the excess moisture.
- If you have extra sauce left don't toss it! Enjoy it over pasta instead.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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