Moussaka is the Greek equivalent of Lasagne. Think roasted eggplant instead of pasta sandwiched in between a rich meat sauce. This is a dish I grew up eating almost once a month. It was a dish both my sister and I loved, but most of all, my dad. He would request mum make this all the time. Once you try it you will understand why. It’s a real winner and I’m sure will become part of your regular rotation once you make it once!
Easy Moussaka
The Story
From my family to yours - this recipe is delicious and always a winner!
Easy Moussaka
Eggplants also tend to absorb a lot of water, so a tip that works really well is after slicing the eggplants, sprinkle generously with salt and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes as this will draw out the salt.
I roast the eggplants in my recipe rather than frying to save on the amount of oil used when frying which makes this healthier, but also less involved than it would take to fry all this eggplant in batches. Healthier and easier, what could be better right?
Now, back to the rest of what goes into this dish. A rich beef mince meat sauce comes together relatively quickly. You could easily substitute lamb which is quite often also traditionally used in Greece. Of course, you could use any mince you like really – chicken or pork although it will have quite a different flavour profile of course. I use crushed tinned tomatoes; you can use fresh tomatoes if you can get your hands on them and if you’d prefer.
As for the topping – my recipe does not call for a bechamel sauce. It’s the way my mum always made it, and the way I do too. Again, a lighter, healthier version than the bechamel dense moussakas that are perhaps more traditional. Try it and I’m, sure you won’t miss it at all, plus its so much quicker minus having to make bechamel from scratch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSIwW7v7fmM
Ingredients
For The Eggplant
- 3 Medium to Large Eggplants, sliced lengthwise (even slabs ¼- to ½-inch-thick)
- 3 tbs Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
For The Meat Sauce
- 750 g Beef Mince
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbs Dried Oregano
- 1 tbs Tomato Paste
- 2 sprig Rosemary
- 400 ml Crushed Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Red Wine
- 1 tbs Sugar
For The Topping
- 1 handful Bocconcini
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 tbs Dried Oregano
- 6 Pitted Kalamata Olives
Instructions
- For The Eggplant - preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray two large baking sheets and arrange the eggplants in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle both sides of the eggplant slices generously then sprinkle with salt.
- Pop the trays into the oven and roast until golden and tender, about 25 minutes. Halfway through baking, rotate the pans 180 degrees and swap their positions (lower rack to upper rack, and vice versa). The pan on the lower rack might need a few extra minutes in the oven to turn golden. Set aside.
- To make the sauce - in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for another minute. Add the beef mince and season with salt, pepper and oregano immediately and then brown evenly, cooking for a further 5-8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook another couple of minutes.
- Add the rosemary into the sauce – you can either add the whole sprigs to flavour the sauce and then pull them out at the end, or remove the leaves from the sprig and sprinkle into the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring the sauce to a boil. When it comes to the boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the red wine open and the sugar, this well help deepen the flavour. Taste, and season further if necessary.
- Assembling the Moussaka - spread about 1/4 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a lasagne dish. Then place a layer of the eggplant slices over the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon more of the meat sauce over the eggplant. Repeat the layering process, you should get two more layers. Combine the egg, sour cream and oregano and whisk well until combined. Pour this mixture over the assembled meat sauce and eggplant. Tilt the tray from side to side to ensure it covers evenly. Shred the bocconcini and top evenly with mozzarella cheese. Finally place the olive on top. Bake on the lower rack, uncovered, until the top is golden brown about 35 - 40 minutes.
- Serving - let it stand to cool for at least 15 minutes to give it time to set. Serve with a side salad of rocket and pear with olive oil and balsamic dressing to compliment.
