Moussaka (Greek Baked Eggplant and Potato Casserole)

We had a Greek family two doors down from us for years, and it was their mother, Despina, who first put a square of moussaka in my hands and told me, not asked me, to eat it. I remember being struck by how much it reminded me of the layered, oven-baked dishes I grew up with, except where I would reach for potatoes and pork, she was reaching for eggplant, cinnamon, and a blanket of custardy béchamel on top.

Moussaka is built in layers, roasted eggplant and potato on the bottom, a spiced meat sauce with a warm hit of cinnamon and allspice in the middle, and a thick, golden béchamel baked on top until it sets like a savory custard. It takes some time to put together, there is no getting around that, but very little of it is hands-on, and the payoff is a dish that reheats even better the next day, which makes it one of my go-to make-ahead dinners.

If you like the layered, saucy comfort of my Youvetsi (recipe on the site) or the stuffed vegetables in my Kolokithakia Gemista (recipe on the site), moussaka belongs in the same weekend rotation. Lucas, who inspects every new dish with deep suspicion before deciding if it passes muster, went back for seconds the first time I made it, which in our house counts as a five-star review.

Moussaka Recipe

Prep time: 40 minutes · Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes · Total: 2 hours (plus 20 minutes resting) · Servings: 8 · Calories: ~440 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch rounds
• Olive oil, for brushing and cooking
• Salt
• For the meat sauce:
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb or beef
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• For the béchamel:
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan or kefalotyri cheese

Instructions

1. Salt the eggplant slices generously and let them sit in a colander for 30 minutes to draw out bitterness, then rinse and pat very dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush the eggplant and potato slices with olive oil on both sides and arrange on baking sheets. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping once, until softened and lightly browned. Set aside; reduce oven to 375°F.
3. Meanwhile, make the meat sauce: heat a little olive oil in a large skillet, cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic and ground meat, breaking it up as it browns.
4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, cinnamon, allspice, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until thickened. Discard the bay leaf.
5. For the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth, about 8 minutes.
6. Remove the béchamel from the heat, stir in the nutmeg and half the cheese, then temper in the egg yolks by whisking a spoonful of the hot sauce into them before stirring them back into the pot.
7. In a 9×13-inch baking dish, layer the potatoes on the bottom, then the eggplant, then spread the meat sauce evenly on top.
8. Pour the béchamel over the top, smoothing it into an even layer, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
9. Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and set.
10. Let the moussaka rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting, it needs this time to firm up enough to hold clean slices.

Recipe Notes

• Do not skip resting the finished casserole, cutting it too soon results in a dish that slides apart on the plate instead of holding its layers.
• Salting and draining the eggplant is worth the extra 30 minutes, it keeps the slices from soaking up excess oil and turning greasy.
• Kefalotyri is the traditional cheese, but parmesan or a good aged pecorino are easy substitutes available in most American grocery stores.
• This dish freezes and reheats very well; assemble it up to the point of baking and freeze unbaked, then thaw overnight and bake as directed, adding about 10 extra minutes.