Moussaka
Silky roasted eggplant layered with a cinnamon-spiced beef and tomato sauce under a thick golden custard topping, Greece’s great comfort bake.
- 150 min total
- 60 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 6
- About $2.91 a serving
- 520 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2 eggplant
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ⅓ cup dry red wine
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup butter
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated parmesan
From your pantry
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Each serving has about 520 calories, 24 g protein, 29 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.91 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. the eggplants into ⅓-inch rounds, brush both sides with 3 tablespoons oil, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and spread on 2 .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway, until soft and .
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 22 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Roasting instead of frying keeps the eggplant silky, not greasy.While it roasts, heat the rest of the oil in a large over medium and cook the onion 5 minutes, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the beef, and cook 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink is left. Spoon off the fat.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon and oregano for 1 minute, pour in the wine for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. on low 15 minutes, until thick.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
For the topping, the butter in a over medium, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute, .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heat
Slowly whisk in the milk and cook 6 to 8 minutes, often, until thick. Off the heat, let it cool 5 minutes, then whisk in the egg, parmesan and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Let it cool before the egg goes in, or it scrambles.Turn the oven down to 350°F. Layer half the eggplant in a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread all the meat sauce over it, add the rest of the eggplant, and pour the topping over everything.
40 to 45 minutes, until the top is puffed and . Let it 20 minutes before cutting.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 42 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: The rest lets the layers set, so each square holds together.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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