This Traditional Moussaka recipe is the ultimate Greek comfort food.
Made with layers of fried eggplant (aubergine), potato, and zucchini, topped with a rich tomato meat sauce, and a thick creamy cheesy bechamel sauce all baked together in a casserole style dish.
There’s no denying that Moussaka is a labor of love, but the end result is so worth it.
What is Moussaka?
Traditional Moussaka is an Eggplant casserole that is made with fried eggplants (aubergines), potatoes, and zucchini.
The vegetables are topped with a rich tomato sauce made with minced beef or lamb as well as a thick and creamy bechamel cheese sauce.
The origins of Moussaka are debated to this day as the dish is present in the Balkans and Turkey as much as it is in Greece. Read more about the history of Moussaka in this article!
Preparing Traditional Moussaka
Making Moussaka is not difficult, just slightly more time consuming than the typical recipe.
Breaking it down into 4 simple steps can be helpful:
- Prepare Fried or Baked Vegetables
- Prepare Meat Sauce
- Prepare Bechamel Sauce
- Assemble Moussaka and Bake
Prepare Moussaka Eggplant, Potatoes, and Zucchini
- Slice eggplant into 1/3″ thick slices, lengthwise.
- Slice zucchini into 1/3″ thick slices, lengthwise.
- Peel potatoes and slice into 1/3″ thick rounds.
- Lay all vegetables flat and cover with paper towels.
- Heat layer of vegetable oil in a pan and fry potatoes until golden brown on both sides.
- Repeat with zucchini and eggplant. Place all fried veggies on paper towels and set aside to remove excess oil.
Can you bake instead of fry?
Yes, place veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 350 F for 20-40 minutes, flipping halfway.
Prepare Moussaka Meat Sauce
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef to the pan with onions and garlic. Cook, breaking meat into pieces until fully browned.
- Add tomato paste and stir until fully combined with meat. Add red wine, tomato purée, beef stock, thyme and 1/4 cup parsley.
- Add 2 bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let simmer while you make the bechamel sauce.
Prepare Moussaka Bechamel Sauce
- In a medium size pot, melt 8 tbsp butter. Slowly whisk in 8 tbsp flour until combined.
- Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Slowly whisk in 4 cups milk until mixture thickens.
- Mix in 2 cup shredded parmesan and turn off heat. Mix in 2 egg yolks until fully combined.
Assembling Traditional Moussaka
- In a 9×13 (or equivalent) baking dish place layer of fried potatoes, closing all gaps. Sprinkle with parsley, salt, pepper, and shredded parmesan.
- Repeat step 1 with layer of zucchini and then layer of eggplant.
- On top of the veggies, spread an even layer of the meat sauce. Then spread the bechamel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top with more shredded parmesan.
- Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes or until golden brown on top. Sprinkle the top with fresh parsley and wait at least 30 minutes for Moussaka to set before serving.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes! Just prepare a day or two in advance and keep in your fridge until ready to bake.
Yes! Fully assemble the Moussaka and place in freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to bake there is no need to thaw just place straight in the oven and increase cooking time by 20 minutes.
You can serve traditional Moussaka by itself or with a side salad since the dish itself is pretty heavy and filling.
Place individual moussaka pieces in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze individual pieces for up to 3 months. Remove and bake at 350 until warmed through.
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Watch How To Make Traditional Moussaka
Traditional Moussaka with Eggplant and Potatoes
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled sliced into 1/3" thick rounds
- 2 zucchini sliced into 1/3" thick strips
- 2 eggplants sliced into 1/3" thick strips
- 2 cups vegetable or peanut oil
For the meat sauce:
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine like cabernet or pinot noir
- 1 cup tomato purée or sauce
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
For the bechamel sauce:
- 8 tbsp butter
- 8 tbsp flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 cups shredded parmesan
Instructions
Prepare vegetables:
- Slice zucchini and eggplant into 1/3" thick pieces, lengthwise. Peel potatoes and slice into 1/3" thick rounds. Lay eggplant down in a flat even layer and cover with paper towels. Repeat with sliced zucchini and potatoes.
- Heat 1.5-2 cups oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Starting with potatoes, transfer to hot oil in batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan. Flip potatoes over to cook both sides until golden brown.
- Repeat with zucchini and then eggplant. Place all fried vegetables on paper towels to soak up excess oil and set aside.
Prepare meat sauce:
- While vegetables cook, prepare meat sauce. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a separate large pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef to the pan with onions and garlic. Cook, breaking meat into pieces until fully browned.
- Add tomato paste and stir until fully combined with meat. Add red wine, tomato purée, beef stock, chopped thyme and 1/4 cup of the chopped parsley.
- Add 2 bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let simmer while you make the bechamel sauce.
Prepare bechamel sauce:
- In a medium size pot, melt 8 tbsp butter. Slowly whisk in 8 tbsp flour until combined. Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Slowly whisk in 4 cups milk until mixture thickens. Mix in 2 cup shredded parmesan until combined. Turn off heat and mix in 2 egg yolks until fully combined.
Assemble moussaka & bake:
- Assemble Moussaka in 9×13 (or equivalent) baking dish. Place layer of fried potatoes on bottom, closing all gaps. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and shredded parmesan. Repeat with zucchini and then eggplant.
- On top of the veggies, spread an even layer of the beef mixture. Then spread the bechamel sauce evenly over the top of the beef layer. Sprinkle the top with more shredded parmesan.
- Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes or until golden brown on top. Sprinkle the top with fresh parsley and let sit for at least 30 minutes so moussaka can set.
Notes
- Storing instructions: place pieces of cooked moussaka in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing instructions: wrap individual pieces of cooked moussaka and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead instructions: prepare moussaka per instructions but don’t bake. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 2 days until ready to bake.
- Reheat instructions: remove cooked pieces of moussaka and bake at 350 F until warmed through.
- Bake vegetables instead of fry: place sliced vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 F for 20-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Half the bechamel sauce for lighter option: this recipe has a very thick and rich layer of bechamel. If you want it to be a bit lighter, you can half the bechamel recipe and it will still yield enough for the top of the moussaka.
- Let sit: with such a thick layer of bechamel, you need to let the moussaka sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour so the moussaka sets and doesn’t fall apart when serving.
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