Greek Moussaka is complete meal in a pot where meat and vegetables are baked along with white sauce and cheese till golden on top. Very popular dish in the Middle East and Arab countries, each of them having their own variations.
Greek Moussaka is a dish that is loved by all ages. It is such a versatile dish which can be served as breakfast, lunch, snack as well as dinner. A good option if you need to have something which does not have any Indian spices and flavors.
Greek Moussaka should be freshly baked before serving, so in that case, you can keep all the preparations ready such as cooked meat, fried and boiled vegetable slices, and also the white sauce. Once these steps are ready, it is very easy to assemble the whole pie and bake it just before serving.
What other vegetables can be added to Greek Moussaka?
Potato
Eggplant
Zucchini
Green peas can be added to the mince while cooking
Sweet potato
Can we freeze the unbaked Moussaka?
Yes, we can freeze unbaked Moussaka, by just assembling the layers in an oven-proof and freezer friendly dish such as aluminum foil boxes.
Wrap the container well and freeze up to 4 or 5 days. Bring it to room temperature before baking.
Greek Moussaka Video
Moussaka ~ Meat and Vegetables Baked with White Sauce
Moussaka is eggplant or potato based dish, baked along with meat and white sauce, topped with some grated cheese.
Ingredients
- For Cooked Meat:
- 300 grams meat mince (mutton/beef/chicken)
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon cooking oil
- For White Sauce (Bechamel):
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon plain flour (all-purpose/maida)
- 2 cups milk (at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- Salt to taste
- Other ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant (or 4 to 5 medium size)
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup = 250 ml
Directions
- Step 1 To cook meat: Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped garlic till aromatic and light brown. Then add chopped onion and saute till soft followed by meat mince. Fry the mince with a bay leaf, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder,½ teaspoon dried oregano, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Fry well and then add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Place the lid and let the mince cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or till fully done.
- Step 2 To make white sauce: Heat butter in a saucepan on low heat and add flour to it. Gently toast the flour with butter for 3 minutes. Once you start getting a toasted aroma, start adding milk little by little. Keep stirring with the help of a whisk to avoid any lumps. Watch the video to see all the steps.
- Step 3 Prepare the vegetables: Cut the eggplant into thick slices and sprinkle salt on both sides of the slices. Set aside for 10 minutes and wipe away all the moisture released. Shallow fry the slices in cooking oil till crisp.
- Step 4 Peel and slice the potatoes and boil in salt water till cooked.
- Step 5 Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C.Layer the cooked mince in an oven-proof baking dish which can also be used as a serving dish. Place the grilled eggplant and potato slices over the mince. Pour the white sauce evenly over the veggies and then generously sprinkle the grated cheese. Finally sprinkle chili flakes, oregano, and butter. Also, you can use olive oil instead of butter. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or till the cheese on top melts with a nice golden color.
