Moussaka
By Steve DunnPublished on August 8, 2022
Time
2½ hours, plus 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Vegetables
3½ pounds eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes½ cup plus 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided2 teaspoons table salt, divided¾ teaspoon pepper, divided1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thickMeat Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped fine ½ teaspoon table salt 4 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon tomato paste ½ cup dry red wine 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons dried oregano ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 teaspoons red wine vinegarBéchamel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup all-purpose flour 2½ cups whole milk 4 ounces kasseri cheese, shredded (1 cup)¼ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 large egg yolks, lightly beatenBefore You Begin
Kasseri is a Greek semifirm sheep's-milk cheese. If it's unavailable, substitute 3 ounces (¾ cup) of shredded provolone and 1½ ounces (¾ cup) of grated Pecorino Romano. We like the richness of whole milk for this dish, but you can substitute 2 percent low-fat; do not use skim. Use a mandoline to quickly slice the potatoes, and use a baking dish that is at least 2¼ inches tall.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Divide eggplant evenly among prepared sheets. Toss each batch with ¼ cup oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until evenly coated, and spread eggplant into single layer. Roast until eggplant is softened and lightly browned, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through roasting. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- While eggplant roasts, grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 2 teaspoons oil. In medium bowl, toss potatoes with remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and microwave until potatoes can be easily pierced with tip of paring knife, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Transfer potatoes, along with any accumulated liquid, to prepared dish and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shingle evenly in dish.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add paprika, oregano, pepper flakes, and cinnamon and cook, stirring frequently, until wine is almost completely evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef; increase heat to medium-high; and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no pink remains, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost completely evaporated and spoon leaves trail when dragged through sauce, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, cover, and remove from heat.
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick, smooth, and comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in kasseri, salt, and nutmeg. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks and cover to keep warm.
- Cover potatoes with eggplant, lightly pressing into even layer. Spread meat sauce in even layer over eggplant. Top with béchamel. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle rack until top of moussaka is deeply browned in spots and is bubbling at edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
for the vegetables
for the meat sauce
for the béchamel
Time
2½ hours, plus 30 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Vegetables
3½ pounds eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons table salt, divided
¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
Meat Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Béchamel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups whole milk
4 ounces kasseri cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Ingredients
Vegetables
3½ pounds eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons table salt, divided
¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
Meat Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Béchamel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups whole milk
4 ounces kasseri cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Ingredients
Vegetables
3½ pounds eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons table salt, divided
¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
Meat Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Béchamel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups whole milk
4 ounces kasseri cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Why This Recipe Works
This iconic casserole has it all: plush vegetables, spiced meat sauce, and a top coat of satiny béchamel. Microwaving the potatoes helped them give up their raw edge without rendering them greasy or waterlogged, and they retained enough structural integrity to be shingled in the greased baking dish. Cubing and roasting skin-on chunks of eggplant skipped the unnecessary fuss of salting and encouraged the puffy flesh to collapse without turning mushy or stringy. The eggplant fit compactly into the baking dish, too. To make a rich-tasting meat sauce that wouldn't gush from a cut slice, it was important to start with 80 percent lean ground beef and cook off most of the wine and tomato juice; this ensured that the mixture was tight and concentrated. The layer of béchamel should be thick, lush, and souffléed; a low ratio of milk to roux, plus egg yolks and plenty of kasseri cheese, made for a custardy version that baked up beautifully.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Kasseri is a Greek semifirm sheep's-milk cheese. If it's unavailable, substitute 3 ounces (¾ cup) of shredded provolone and 1½ ounces (¾ cup) of grated Pecorino Romano. We like the richness of whole milk for this dish, but you can substitute 2 percent low-fat; do not use skim. Use a mandoline to quickly slice the potatoes, and use a baking dish that is at least 2¼ inches tall.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Divide eggplant evenly among prepared sheets. Toss each batch with ¼ cup oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until evenly coated, and spread eggplant into single layer. Roast until eggplant is softened and lightly browned, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through roasting. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- While eggplant roasts, grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 2 teaspoons oil. In medium bowl, toss potatoes with remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and microwave until potatoes can be easily pierced with tip of paring knife, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Transfer potatoes, along with any accumulated liquid, to prepared dish and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shingle evenly in dish.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add paprika, oregano, pepper flakes, and cinnamon and cook, stirring frequently, until wine is almost completely evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef; increase heat to medium-high; and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no pink remains, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost completely evaporated and spoon leaves trail when dragged through sauce, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, cover, and remove from heat.
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick, smooth, and comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in kasseri, salt, and nutmeg. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks and cover to keep warm.
- Cover potatoes with eggplant, lightly pressing into even layer. Spread meat sauce in even layer over eggplant. Top with béchamel. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle rack until top of moussaka is deeply browned in spots and is bubbling at edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
for the vegetables
for the meat sauce
for the béchamel
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