Moussaka
- Total Time
- 4 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:15 servings
- 4large eggplants, about 1½ pounds each
- 6tablespoons Greek olive oil, plus a little for coating the eggplants
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4medium onions, chopped
- 6garlic cloves, chopped
- 128-ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
- ¼cup parsley, minced
- 2teaspoons dried oregano
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2pounds ground lamb
- ½cups dry white wine
- Black pepper to taste
- 4pinches freshly grated nutmeg
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4tablespoons flour
- 2cups hot, scalded milk
- White pepper, to taste
- 4eggs
- 10tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
- 1cup grated kefalotyri cheese or pecorino Romano
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (15 servings)
438 calories; 30 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 1034 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick eggplants several times with a fork. Rub a little olive oil into their skins. On a large baking sheet, roast eggplants until soft, about 30 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into ½-inch-thick round slices.
- Step 2
In a saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over high heat and brown eggplant slices lightly on each side. Do this in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
Make Tomato Sauce
- Step 3
In a saucepan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves, and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and their puree, squeezing them into coarse chunks. Add parsley, oregano, cinnamon and vinegar. Stir well. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Reserve.
Prepare Lamb
- Step 4
In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining onions and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Add lamb, in stages if necessary, and brown well, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon. Add wine and bring to a boil. Cook until wine has nearly evaporated. 5. Season lamb with salt, black pepper and 2 pinches of nutmeg. Stir in 1 cup of reserved tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
Prepare Bechamel
- Step 5
In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat, and gradually whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Do not let this brown. Add hot milk and whisk rapidly to combine. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth and thickened. Season with salt, white pepper and remaining 2 pinches nutmeg. Let cool slightly.
- Step 6
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and whisk in a spoonful of bechamel. Whisk in remaining bechamel in a thin stream, and adjust seasoning.
- Step 7
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble moussaka: Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs across the bottom of a large baking dish (18-by-8-by-3 inches) and cover crumbs evenly with half the eggplant slices. Drain as much oil from lamb mixture as possible, and spread the meat over the eggplant layer. Top meat with half the cheese, then with half the remaining bread crumbs. Place remaining eggplant slices on top of the bread crumbs, then add the bechamel, remaining cheese and remaining bread crumbs in even layers. Dot with remaining butter.
- Step 8
Bake for 45 minutes, until well browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Cut into 3-inch squares to serve. Serve with the extra tomato sauce.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Wednesday
Very good flavor. I increased the garlic and used rice flour. Next time will double the bechamel and use 1 1/2 times the cheese, and will cut the eggplant in thicker slices - maybe 3/4 inch or slightly thicker. (I salted and rinsed the eggplant, sliced it, put it on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil, brushed it with olive oil, and then roasted it for about 30 minutes instead of baking and then frying.)
Middleton
I fail to see how it can be "least oily" if the eggplant slices are browned in olive oil. Eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge. Instead, I recommend slicing uncooked eggplant, placing the slices on a broiler pan in batches, and brushing the tops lightly with oil. Broil close to the heat source until brown, flip, and broil again without any additional oil on the second side. And definitely more Bechamel.
Anne
Love this dish!!! I hardly ever make it though because it's takes so long to prepare. One short cut I used once was to roast eggplant slices, no frying. Dish was delicious still
Kikihughes
Addendum—Perhaps because my mother’s family is Greek, I find the seasonings in the recipe wise guidance, but ultimately wimpy. Part of the magic of moussaka is that it takes traditionally “sweet” spices—cinnamon and nutmeg —and pairs them with savory spices (garlic and oregano), for an amazing sensory experience. I hold the savory spices (garlic and oregano) as recommended, but basically double or triple the cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste along the way, but the sweet spices add magic.
Maya
Very good as written (except for the bechamel needing far less than 25 min)! I would definitely add in a potato layer next time, to soak up the remaining fat from the lamb. Replacing half the lamb with lentils would lighten it too.
Andrea
This was quite flavorful. I roasted the eggplant slices in the oven to save time, processed all the onions with the garlic at once and then divided up the chopped onion /garlic mix between the sauce and the lamb.
I only simmered the béchamel sauce for 10 minutes and it was fine!
Kikihughes
I have made this a number of times, for crowds as large as twelve, and as small as four. My thoughts: 1. If one is halving the recipe (two eggplants), do the *full* recipe for the tomato sauce and the bechamel. By extension, if one is making the four-eggplant recipe, double the tomato sauce and the bechamel. 2. Completely disregard the eggplant prep instructions. Instead, slice them (1/3” or so) and roast them, brushed with olive oil, in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Flip them halfway.
Lea
This recipe is a keeper, but I would amend some things. It's different, perfect for small gatherings, and delicious. Something that differs from the recipe is that I added more cheese (Pecorino Romano) and also feta cheese. Something that I would recommend is to slice the eggplant before roasting them, so you can get the right slice and shape. If you don't, when it comes to slicing them, it becomes soggy, and then you won't get that oval shape slice. I would also add 1 more pound of meat.
EAL
Absolutely delicious. Time consuming, but certainly worth it! Added an extra eggplant and, as others have written, sliced the eggplant raw then roasted at 375 for 30 minutes brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper. Used two, rather than 4, eggs in the bechamel - which seemed to be perfect. Mistakenly added all of the tomato sauce to the lamb mixture. Worried that the dish would be too “saucy”, but not at all. In fact, I’ll do this again the next time I prepare this recipe!
met
the extra tomato sauce is to be served on the side
diana
im missing the yogart topping part. could you be referring to another recipe? Id love to make something similar without the bechamel sauce...
Chris J
It's fine. Doesn't seem necessary to prep the eggplant much, be it roasting or frying or salting. Just layer them with the meat sauce, season, and bake.
Pepe
A long haul for a short gain.
Sarah
Overall good but I'd change some things when I cook this again (doubling the sauce and leaving more liquid in the meat mix). First, the cooking time for the sauce seemed too long as it ended up too thick and dry once baked, thus the dish missed the creamy topping that makes it delicious. I think the lamb and tomato sauce came out well, with the flavors coming together nicely. I also preferred brushing the eggplant with olive oil and roasting, as it saved time and reduced the amount of oil.
kg.lovelymasala
I have made this recipe vegetarian by replacing lamb with cooked lentils. Loved this hearty dish.
Patrick
I add 4 sliced potatoes too
Colleen
I played around with the measurements to accommodate 3 people. (Can’t remember the last time I had 15 people over for dinner!) My husband declared that this was the best moussaka he ever tasted and it could beat the finest restaurant’s efforts. No leftovers. Pretty labor intensive but worth the trouble. I added all the tomato sauce to the lamb and it was delicious!
Paul Woolf
Superb.
Beltz
Half recipe
Tricia Irish
I too sliced the eggplant, salted, and then roasted the slices in the oven with a bit of olive oil. Much lighter and easier. I also made the tomato sauce with the meat...no need to make it separately. I also upped the spices, and only cooked the bechamel for 7 minutes. Perfect. And delicious.
Diane
Family member is allergic to mammal meat (lamb, beef, pork). Could I use ground Turkey?
Bonita
So delicious. And as long as I make the tomato sauce and the lamb the night before, it's not onerous to make for a dinner party. Regarding comments: I roasted the eggplant -- no brainer. I doubled cinnamon and nutmeg -- good effect, will do it again. I doubled the bechamel sauce and am wondering what to do with all that leftover bechamel. Not necessary. Love this recipe!
kh
Hands down, the most delicious NYT Cooking recipe I’ve made. ( Maybe a tie with Mocha Latte cookies). I did follow some reader’s suggestions- doubled the overall quantity of béchamel, but kept the same number of eggs, and increased the meat seasoning by 2-3 times. Next time I’ll add even more seasoning. Also, I baked the eggplant slices as suggested. Flavorful, comforting - like a middle-eastern shepherds pie. Be sure to make enough for seconds and leftovers!
courtney
WOOF this was a lot of work and sadly it was just ok! When I have had moussaka at a restaurant, the béchamel is not eggy at all and is sooo creamy but not soupy: This dish was a little too firm. We also made this vegetarian which we don’t recommend as the filling would just be a lot of onions and tomato sauce. Prob won’t make again but it was an experience
Jill S
Great recipe, very time consuming. I will slice and roast eggplant next time to save some time. Also I did 1 lb lamb and 1 lb ground beef and it was delicious. This dish has always been on my list to prepare and it did not disappoint!!
Jen F.
Based on reviews: slice eggplant, drizzle with oil then roast. Double the bechamel, halve the eggs, double the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add all of the tomato to the meat mixture.
TT
Excellent recipe- married to a Greek for 25 years, I've made more than a few moussakas. This is good- and I did follow a few of the notes. Roasted the eggplant slices and skipped the frying. I doubled the cinnamon and nutmeg, and also more garlic. Also doubled the bechamel but did not use eggs. I browned the lamb first the drained it, cooked the onions and garlic then added the lamb back. I used all the tomato sauce with the lamb and it was perfect, not too much.
Me
Use this recipe for bechamel but use the mushroom recipe for moussaka.
Me
Best bechamel sauce
mak
To save time and oil, I sliced eggplants then boiled for 10 minutes. Strained them and pressed them with a cheese cloth to get excess water out. A little s&p and then placed in baking dish and added sauce
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