Moussaka

Greek Moussaka (Lamb and Aubergine Casserole with Béchamel)

The definitive Greek Sunday casserole: silky fried aubergine rounds layered with cinnamon-and-allspice lamb in tomato, blanketed with a thick, custardy béchamel that browns on top. Resting overnight is traditional and not optional — the layers will not hold otherwise.

Prep

45 min

Cook

90 min

Total

135 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) aubergines (eggplants), about 3 medium, sliced 1 cm / ½ in thick rounds
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt, for drawing moisture out of the aubergines
• •120 ml (½ cup) olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing aubergines
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •2 cloves garlic, minced
• •500 g (1.1 lb) minced lamb, 20% fat is fine; do not use lean
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato purée
• •400 g (14 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes, or peeled, roughly crushed
• •60 ml (¼ cup) dry red wine, optional but traditional
• •1 stick cinnamon, true Ceylon if possible
• •1 tsp ground allspice
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) dried oregano, Greek rigani preferred
• •1 bay leaf bay leaf
• •2 g (1 pinch) ground black pepper
• •75 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, for béchamel
• •75 g (¾ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• •750 ml (3¼ cups) whole milk, lukewarm
• •1 whole egg, large, lightly beaten
• •40 g (⅓ cup) kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, finely grated; Parmesan acceptable substitute
• •1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Steps

1. 1 Salt the aubergines: lay the rounds in a colander, sprinkle evenly with the 10 g salt, and weight them with a plate for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat very dry, and brush both sides with olive oil.
2. 2 Fry the aubergines: in a large skillet over medium heat, fry in batches in a shallow layer of olive oil until deep golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper. (Home-kitchen note: traditional taverna moussaka shallow-fries; a home oven at 220 °C / 425 °F on oiled trays, 18–20 min, works as a lighter substitute.)
3. 3 Make the meat sauce: in a wide pan over medium-high heat, warm 30 ml olive oil and sauté the onion 6–7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
4. 4 Add the minced lamb, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and brown well — about 8 minutes. Season with the cinnamon, allspice, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in the wine (if using) and let it evaporate, 2 minutes.
5. 5 Stir in the tomato purée, cook 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 20–25 minutes, until thick and jammy; the sauce should hold its shape on a spoon, not pool. Discard the bay leaf.
6. 6 Make the béchamel: in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes — it must lose the raw flour smell but not brown.
7. 7 Gradually whisk in the lukewarm milk, a little at a time at first to avoid lumps, then more freely. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking, and cook 5–7 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it holds.
8. 8 Off the heat, whisk in the nutmeg and 30 g of the grated cheese. Temper the beaten egg with a ladleful of hot béchamel (whisk constantly so it does not scramble), then return the egg mixture to the pan and whisk to combine. The béchamel should still be fluid and pourable; loosen with a splash of milk if needed.
9. 9 Assemble: preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. In a roughly 22 × 30 cm (9 × 13 in) baking dish, layer half the aubergines in a single overlapping layer. Spread all the meat sauce over them, then top with the remaining aubergines. Pour the béchamel over the top, spread to the edges, and scatter with the remaining 10 g cheese.
10. 10 Bake on the middle rack for 45–55 minutes, until the béchamel is deeply golden and a knife plunged into the centre feels hot (internal temperature of the filling should reach at least 75 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer).
11. 11 Resting is required: let the moussaka cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour, ideally 2–3 hours or overnight in the fridge. Greek cooks consider this step non-negotiable — cutting it hot will collapse the layers. Serve at room temperature or rewarm gently to 60 °C / 140 °F.