A traditional Greek dish made with layers of eggplant, ground meat, and a creamy béchamel sauce. Perfect for a hearty and flavorful meal.
Preparation time
1h
Cooking time
45min
Ingredients
6 Servings
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 60 g butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 2 eggplants
- 60 g flour
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500 g ground beef
- 500 ml milk
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 onion
- 100 g parmesan cheese
- 120 ml red wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 30 ml tomato paste
- 400 g tomatoes
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Step 2
Slice the eggplants into 1 cm thick rounds and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
Step 3
Rinse the eggplants and pat them dry. Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown. Set aside.
Step 4
In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic until softened.
Step 5
Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
Step 6
Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, ground cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 7
To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 8
Gradually whisk in the milk and continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Add the ground nutmeg and half of the grated Parmesan cheese.
Step 9
Remove the sauce from heat and let it cool slightly. Stir in the beaten egg.
Step 10
Layer half of the fried eggplant slices in a baking dish. Spread the meat sauce over the eggplants. Top with the remaining eggplant slices.
Step 11
Pour the béchamel sauce over the top layer of eggplants and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Step 12
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Step 13
Let the moussaka cool for a few minutes before serving.