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Moussaka

By: PEGGY AYSCUE

"Here is a great recipe for moussaka, a Greek dish. It includes sliced eggplant baked in a ground beef sauce and then smothered in a thin white sauce."

Rating: Read Reviews (179)

Rate/Review | 4,735 people have saved this

What to Drink?
	Tempranillo
	Italian Amaretto Margaritas

Prep Time:
45 Min

Cook Time:
1 Hr

Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min

Servings (Help)

US Metric Calculate

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound lean ground beef
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten
4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt to taste
ground white pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 583 | Total Fat: 40.4g | Cholesterol: 130mg

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Reviewed on Aug. 22, 2007 by WSBLEND

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0.00 star rating.

WSBLEND
Aug. 22, 2007

Fantastic! with a few modifications as follows. don't fry the eggplant: brush a little bit of olive oil & cook them in a oven at 450 till moderately soft...you don't want mush... bechamel sauce: I don't get why everyone is saying this makes too much sauce?! It doesn't, trust me. You want at least an inch high layer of this when it's done cooking, so use the ingredients as written. I do agree with adding the extra eggs. I made the sauce as directed, then as it cooled I added two eggs yolks one at a time, blended that, then I added the 2 egg whites (which I had first beaten till stiff with a mixer). Next time I might try the 3rd egg as some recommend for even more firmness. meat sauce: save calories, don't brown the beef in butter! Increase garlic to at 2-3 cloves. I used italian seasoning for "fine herbs". Add a big pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. I used about 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper. I made the meat sauce one day ahead (to save time on the big day & to allow the flavors to come out). mysterious olive oil: I don't know where that 1/4 cup of olive oil is supposed to come in? I never used it. Certainly didn't miss it. construction: Use a big/deep lasgane pan. The 9 X 13 glass pan isn't big enough. To be more authentic you can add a thin layer of potato in the bottom. Peel two potatoes, slice them about 1/4 in or less slices, brush with small amount of olive oil, roast in 450 oven for about 15 minutes.

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252 users found this review helpful

Fantastic! with a few modifications as follows. don't fry the eggplant: brush a little bit of... MORE

Reviewed on Jul. 16, 2003 by MIRRISA2003

Having parents who lived in Greece for years, we had many variations of this dish. The best... MORE

Reviewed on Nov. 21, 2005 by COOKING66

Superb! I live in Greek Cyprus and this recipe is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted... MORE

Reviewed on Aug. 9, 2004 by KRANEY

This was awesome! I have been to Greece, and must say, the flavor was very authentic! I had... MORE

Reviewed on Feb. 9, 2005 by CMHGUPTA

This was a really nice find. I followed all of the suggestions to make it more healthy:... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 21, 2004 by CJOHN199

Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. I had tried one from another site some time ago and... MORE

Reviewed on Sep. 7, 2006 by CreativeCook

I'm lucky to live near a fantastic Greek restaurant and their moussaka was to die for. It's... MORE

Reviewed on Jul. 30, 2003 by IMP70

I never had moussaka before, but this was very tasty. I made some minor modifications -- I... MORE

Reviewed on Nov. 28, 2006 by ABD297

I enjoyed this recipe. Followed other recomendations. layered the filling with the sauce... MORE

Reviewed on Oct. 30, 2005 by HIGHSMITH

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0.00 star rating.

HIGHSMITH
Oct. 30, 2005

I omitted the nutmeg, used only a sprinkle of cinnamon and used the reviewers recommended basil, thyme and oregano for the 'fine herbs'. I browned 1/2 of the eggplant in the olive oil (yes, it does soak up the oil fast and takes more than recommended) and I sprayed 1/2 half of the eggplant with spray olive oil and broiled it. I didn't like the pieces of eggplant that were broiled. The pieces browned in oil were much better tasting, so next time I would try to decrease the butter more and not alter the original cooking method of the eggplant. I used shredded parmesan instead of grated and couldn't really taste it in the dish. I added one egg to the meat mixture which helped it hold together well and I added the 3 beaten egg whites to the sauce. I would cut the 3 egg whites in the sauce to 2 the next time as the bechamel was stiffer than I like it. I prefer it to 'melt' into the meat mixture slightly when heated in the microwave. I doubled the meat amount and had plenty of eggplant (used 3 medium sized) to make two pans of the dish. I give it 4 stars because it's not quite as good as the moussaka made by my ex-boss who is a Greek Chef. I will make again and try not to alter the recipe so much and if it is better I will upgrade my rating. All in all this was a good dish, but messes up LOTS of pans. Thanks for the recipe.

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I omitted the nutmeg, used only a sprinkle of cinnamon and used the reviewers recommended... MORE

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Moussaka

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Prep Time:
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Cook Time:
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Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min

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What to Drink?

Prep Time: 45 Min

Cook Time: 1 Hr

Ready In: 1 Hr 45 Min

Servings (Help)

Ingredients

Directions

Nutritional Information

My Recipe Box (0)

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Prep Time:
45 Min

Cook Time:
1 Hr

Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min