Moussaka with Eggplant and Bechamel Sauce

Moussaka is a Greek casserole of baked eggplant, ground meat simmered with tomatoes, and bechamel sauce, layered together and baked for 30 minutes at 180°C. It's not an expensive dish, and the portion is family-sized - there's enough for everyone with seconds to spare. Recommended, and enjoy!

Moussaka with Eggplant and Bechamel Sauce

Eggplant casserole with ground pork, tomatoes, feta, and homemade bechamel sauce - a hearty family dish from the oven.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Hearty mains

Cuisine: Home cooking

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the layers

• 0.5 kg eggplant
• 0.5 kg ground pork
• 1 onion
• 3 clove garlic
• 8 plum tomatoes
• 50 g feta cheese
• salt, sugar, spices to taste
• fresh dill

For the bechamel sauce

• 1 cup milk warm
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 pinch salt

Method

 

1. Wash the eggplant, peel it, slice into rounds, and soak for 15 minutes in cold salted water. Pat dry.
2. Arrange the rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet or rack, brush with vegetable oil, salt, and bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Fry the ground pork and simmer it briefly in a skillet with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spices until partly done. Set aside.
4. For the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, stir quickly, and gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring constantly like a custard. Bring to a boil until thickened, salt, and remove from heat.
   
5. Grease a 24 cm dish with vegetable oil and dust with breadcrumbs. Layer in the eggplant, half the meat, more eggplant, and the rest of the meat.
   
6. Scatter feta pieces on top, sprinkle with herbs, and pour over the bechamel sauce.
   
7. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!
   

Notes

Soaking the eggplant in salted water removes the bitterness.

Tips

• Soaking the eggplant in cold salted water for 15 minutes removes the bitterness - don't skip this step.
• Grease the dish (I use a 24 cm ceramic one) and dust it with breadcrumbs - the moussaka will come out cleanly.
• Serve right away, while still hot: moussaka tastes best warm.