Name: The Best Greek Moussaka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef; 2 medium onions, peeled and grated; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp allspice; 1/4 tsp cloves; 3 bay leaves; 1 6 oz can tomato paste; 1 c red wine; 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes; Salt and pepper, to taste; 3 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated; 1/2 c olive oil; 2 tsp dried mint; 2 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 6 Tbs butter; 1/2 c flour; 2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/8 tsp nutmeg; 1/2 c ricotta cheese; 1 c grated Pecorino or Romano cheese; 3 large egg yolks, whisked

Moussaka is a layered dish of eggplant, meat sauce, and a thick cheesy bechamel, which you bake until the topping is set and bubbly. I combined the best part of a lot of different recipes I've seen, so you have something you can make with straightforward and convenient ingredients, and end up with a crowd-pleasing casserole.

For the meat sauce:

2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
3 bay leaves
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 c red wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the eggplant:

2 large eggplants (about 1 1/2 lb), sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1 c olive oil
2 tsp dried mint
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper

For the bechamel:

6 Tbs butter
1/2 c flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 c grated Pecorino or Romano cheese
3 large egg yolks

Make the meat sauce: Peel and trim the onion and garlic, and pulse them in a large food processor or blender to finely chop. Place a large saucepan on the stove on high. Add the beef, onion, and garlic, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until beef is fully browned. Drain well through a sieve. (Click here for a tutorial on browning ground meat.)

In a large waterproof blender, puree the peeled tomatoes, with the juice from the can, until smooth.

Add garlic, spices, and bay leaves to the ground beef mixture, and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another minute. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until wine is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about an hour until thick. Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired. (I added about 3 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.) Set aside. (You can make this a day or two before, if you'd like.)

Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. When the butter foams, add the flour and cook while whisking until combined, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the warm milk and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt. (Click here for a tutorial on making a basic bechamel.)

Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks and cheeses until fully combined. Dump this mixture into the bechamel and whisk vigorously until smooth.

Prepare the eggplant: Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the garlic, oil, mint, and oregano in a small bowl (I combine it in a small food processor). Slice the eggplant thinly.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe cooling rack over it. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil mixture and season with salt and pepper. Place the slices onto the rack in a single layer. Cook 12 minutes. Continue in batches until all eggplant slices are roasted.

Assemble the moussaka: Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 13x9 pan.

Layer half the eggplant on the bottom of the pan, edge to edge, then cover with about half the meat sauce. Add another layer of eggplant, then top with the remaining meat sauce. Pour the bechamel over the top and smooth it out with a rubber spatula. Bake uncovered until set and bubbly, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.

Mix It Up:

Use ground lamb for half or all of the meat
If you have fresh mint or oregano, use 2 Tbs instead of 2 tsp to sub that in!
Missing one of the herbs? You can use thyme or parsley instead
Ricotta is not Greek, and neither is pecorino Romano - but they are easy to find! Sub farmer's cheese for the ricotta and hard goat cheese for the pecorino Romano if you can find it

The Best Greek Moussaka

Yield: 12

Author: Mallory

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 45 M

Ingredients

For the meat sauce:

2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
3 bay leaves
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 c red wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the eggplant:

3 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1/2 c olive oil
2 tsp dried mint
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the bechamel:

6 Tbs butter
1/2 c flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 c grated Pecorino or Romano cheese
3 large egg yolks, whisked

Instructions

Make the meat sauce:

Peel and trim the onion and garlic, and pulse them in a large food processor or blender to finely chop. Place a large saucepan on the stove on high. Add the beef, onion, and garlic, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until beef is fully browned. Drain well through a sieve. (Click here for a tutorial on browning ground meat.)
In a large waterproof blender, puree the peeled tomatoes, with the juice from the can, until smooth.
Add garlic, spices, and bay leaves to the ground beef mixture, and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another minute. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until wine is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about an hour until thick. Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired. (I added about 3 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.)

Prepare the eggplant:

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the garlic, oil, mint, and oregano in a small bowl. Slice the eggplant thinly.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe cooling rack over it. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil mixture and season with salt and pepper. Place the slices onto the rack in a single layer. Cook 12 minutes. Continue in batches until all eggplant slices are roasted.

Make the bechamel:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. When the butter foams, add the flour and cook while whisking until combined, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the warm milk and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. (Click here for a tutorial on making a basic bechamel.)
Remove from heat. Whisk the bechamel vigorously and drop in the egg yolks, whisking the whole time so they don't cook separately. Then stir in the cheeses until they are melted and the sauce is smooth.

Assemble the moussaka:

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 13x9 pan.
Layer half the eggplant on the bottom of the pan, then cover with about half the meat sauce. Add another layer of eggplant, then top with the remaining meat sauce. Pour the bechamel over the top and smooth it out with a rubber spatula. Bake uncovered until set and bubbly, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.

Calories

492.52

Fat (grams)

27.74

Sat. Fat (grams)

9.25

Carbs (grams)

28.14

Fiber (grams)

5.61

Net carbs

22.53

Sugar (grams)

11.56

Protein (grams)

28.86

Sodium (milligrams)

759.50

Cholesterol (grams)

98.71

Created using The Recipes Generator