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Moussaka

A Greek dish consisting of layered beef and eggplant baked in a bechamel sauce.

Moussaka

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19 people Yepped this recipe

servings: 6

total time: 2 hours

added on 04/19/2019

recipe by: Frankie

INGREDIENTS

1/2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 pound ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine
14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 large eggplants
2 TBSP olive oil
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
BECHAMEL SAUCE:
6 TBSP unsalted butter
6 TBSP flour
3 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

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DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Butter the inside of a 9x13 (3 quart) baking dish with the 1/2 TBSP of butter.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the beef as it cooks, about 8 minutes.
Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to the beef then cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, discard the end pieces.
Add the sliced eggplant to a large bowl with the olive oil then generously season the eggplant with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the eggplant, in batches, on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the browned eggplant to a paper towel lined plate then set aside.
BECHAMEL SAUCE:
Melt the 6 TBSP of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
When the butter has melted stir in the flour until well incorporated.
Slowly stir in the milk and bring to a slight boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and slowly stir in the beaten egg yolks.
Stir in the nutmeg and Parmesan until well combined.
ASSEMBLY AND BAKING:
Layer ONE-THIRD the eggplant in the buttered baking dish. Spread HALF the beef mixture on the eggplant. Sprinkle HALF the feta cheese on the beef mixture. Layer on HALF of the remaining eggplant then spread on the remaining beef. Layer on the remaining eggplant and sprinkle on the remaining feta. Pour the bechamel sauce evenly over everything.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and well browned on top.
Remove from the oven and allow 15 minutes to cool before serving.