Mousaka

Properties6

Type	Recipe
Difficulty	Medium
Prep Time	1h 15m active
Total Time	1h 45m
Serving Size	6-8 people
Note created	Jun 2, 2025

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 2 large eggplants
• 3-4 medium potatoes (600-700g)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• black pepper

Meat Ragú

• 750g ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 150ml white wine
• 800g can crushed tomatoes

Béchamel Sauce

• 125g unsalted butter
• 125g all-purpose flour
• 1l whole milk
• Salt to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 egg yolks

Method

The method includes three different elaborations: roasted vegetables, a meat ragú and a bechamel, that have to be assembled and baked together. You can make components ahead and assemble when ready to bake. Resting time is essential for clean slices. Mousaka freezes well before or after baking; and it has to be served warm, not hot, as is traditional.

Prepare Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Slice eggplants into 1cm thick rounds. Salt and let drain in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
3. Slice potatoes into 0.5cm thick rounds.
4. Parboil potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
5. Arrange vegetables on parchment-lined baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
6. Bake eggplant for 35-40 minutes until tender. Bake potatoes for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden.
7. Optional: Fry vegetables in olive oil for 15 seconds per side for richer flavor.

Make Ragú

1. Brown ground beef in large pan over high heat. Remove and reserve.
2. Sauté diced onion and minced garlic in same pan until translucent (4 minutes).
3. Add cinnamon stick, cook 1 minute.
4. Add tomato paste, toast 15 seconds.
5. Deglaze with white wine, cook 2 minutes.
6. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf, and reserved beef.
7. Simmer 20 minutes until thick. Season with salt. Remove cinnamon and bay leaf.

Make Béchamel

1. Warm milk in microwave or saucepan.
2. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat.
3. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute until no raw flour smell.
4. Gradually add warm milk while whisking constantly.
5. Cook until thickened (12-13 minutes).
6. Season with salt and nutmeg. Add Parmesan to taste.
7. Whisk in egg yolks. Keep warm on low heat.

Assembly

1. Mix 1 ladle of béchamel into the ragú.
2. Layer in baking dish:
   • Thin layer of béchamel on bottom
   • All potato slices
   • Half the eggplant
   • All the ragú
   • Remaining eggplant
   • Remaining béchamel
   • Generous Parmesan on top

Baking

1. Reduce oven to 200°C.
2. Bake 30 minutes until golden on top.
3. Critical: Let rest 20 minutes before serving to set properly.

References

• Diegodoal
• My Greek Dish
• The Greek Foodie
• Don’t Go Bacon My Heart
• Serious Eats

Journal

2025/06/02 - first time preparing it, had 4 small-ish potatoes, 2 eggplants and 500g ground beef, so I had to adjust the recipe. The roux was messed up and burned because it took too long and I eyeballed the ratios of the bechamel, but the dish as a whole tasted great. Focus on the bechamel next time.