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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Moussaka (Musaka) Greek Recipe

    Published: May 23, 2022 by Radwa · This post may contain affiliate links. 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Moussaka or Musaka is a delicious Greek dish made up of three layers.

    The bottom layer is a yummy roasted or fried eggplant slices, the middle layer is a well-seasoned meat and tomato sauce, and the top layer is a creamy bechamel sauce. Moussaka can be eaten hot or cold; it is delicious both ways.

    Check also my eggplant napoleons recipe.

    Moussaka (Musaka) in a plate

    What do you know about Moussaka (Musak) recipe?

    Moussaka is an eggplants casserole recipe that is widely spread in the Mediterranean such as Egypt and Greece. But unlike the Greece Moussaka, the Egyptian Moussaka doesn't usually have the bechamel sauce (top layer).

    Musaka is an easy recipe that requires three easy steps:
    First step is baking or frying the eggplant (I prefer baking the eggplant in the oven).
    Second step is cooking the meat sauce.
    Third step is making the top layer which is the bechamel layer.

    Moussaka or Musaka in a plate

    Moussaka Ingredients:

    The roasted eggplant layer: Four eggplants and oil.

    For the meat filling: Minced beef (use extra lean beef), minced onion, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, black pepper, bay leaf, and tomato sauce.

    For the bechamel sauce: Milk (whole or skimmed), butter, olive oil, plain flour, salt, and ground black pepper.

    Moussaka or Musaka is a delicious main dish

    How to make Moussaka (Musaka)?

    Roasting the eggplant

    Roasting the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into slices and arrange them on a baking sheet then spray them with oil, both sides. Bake the eggplants at 210C for about 20-30 minutes or until become soft.

    Making the meat sauce

    Making the meat sauce: In a pot or pan, add minced onion, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, black pepper, bay leaf, and tomato sauce. Stir then cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. (Don't forget to stir occasionally).

    Making the bechamel sauce

    Making the bechamel sauce: In a saucepan, add oil and butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, and the milk slowly (pour it in a tiny stream) while stirring vigorously. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens then turn off the heat.

    Assembling everything
    Assembling everything

    Assembling everything: Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a 21x21 cm baking dish.
    Top the eggplant with all the meat sauce, then cover the sauce with the rest of the eggplant slices. 
    Finally, spread the bechamel sauce on the top.

    Baking:Bake at 190C for 30 minutes or until the top has a lovely golden colour.
    Remove from the oven and let it cool down for ten minutes then cut and serve.

    Moussaka or Musaka is a delicious main dish

    Top tips

    • If you love your dish to be spicy, add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 jalapeño pepper (chopped) to the meat sauce while cooking.
    • If you are a cheese lover, you can sprinkle some parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese on top of the bechamel sauce for extra flavour.
    • Traditionally, this recipe calls for frying the eggplant (aubergine) slices, not roasting them. However, I tried both ways, and I found that roasting the eggplant is just as delicious as frying while also being much healthier.
    • You can roast eggplant slices ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.
    • Feel free to use minced lamb or beef in making the meat sauce.
    • If you want to make large quantities of Musaka, just double the ingredients and make more layers. Like 3 layers of eggplant slices, 2 layers meat sauce, and top them with the top layer of bechamel sauce. It will look like lasagna. To make that, you need to use a bigger baking dish.
    Moussaka or Musaka recipe

    Storage

    To store: Cover it well and keep in the fridge; it will last for 5 days in the fridge.

    To freeze it: Slice it and put the slices in an airtight container, and keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.

    To reheat: If it was in the freezer, let it thaw completely, then put it in the oven at 190C for 20 minutes.

    Make ahead of time: You can make it 2-3 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Actually, I used to make the three layers (roasted eggplant slices, meat sauce, and bechamel sauce) and keep them in the fridge. I only assembled everything and baked it right before serving.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make Moussaka as a low carb dish?

    Yes, you can, only replace the bechamel sauce with cheddar or mozzarella cheese.

    Can I make this dish vegetarian?

    Yes, you can. To do that replace the meat sauce with a mixture of 1 cup of tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon dried basil.

    How to make a light Moussaka?

    To make Moussaka light, here are some suggestions:

    • Use a skimmed milk in making the bechamel sauce or even skip the bechamel sauce.
    • Use an extra lean beef.
    • Roast the eggplant instead of frying it (like me).

    Serving suggestions

    This dish can be served with any salad you like, especially green salad, bread, some tomato chunks, or some pickles. Some suggestions below:

    • Mediterranean couscous salad
    • Homemade coleslaw salad
    • Creamy mushroom chicken
    • Crispy fried chicken recipe
    • Homemade chicken nuggets
    Moussaka or Musaka recipe

    More Meditaranian Recipes:

    • Mediterranean Eggplant Salad: A flavourful eggplant salad that is so delicious and easy to make.
    • Spanakopita - Spinach Pie: This is a traditional Greek pie made with spinach, onion, egg, and feta cheese.
    • Mediterranean Couscous Salad: This is a simple couscous salad made with couscous, veggies, feta cheese, and drizzled with a tangy lemon and herbs dressing.
    • Homemade crispy falafel: It is a famous dish in Egypt and all the middle east area; it is delicious and is made with lots of veggies.
    Moussaka or Musaka recipe

    Tools used in making this recipe:

    • Sharp knife: To cut the eggplants into slices.
    • Chopping board: To use in cutting the eggplants.
    • Baking dish: To bake your meal. 
    • Saucepan: To make the bechamel sauce.

    More Recipes You May Like

    • Roasted Vegetable Pizza - Vegetarian Pizza
    • Curry Fried Rice with Chicken
    • Sweet And Sour Salmon
    • Pan Fried Sea Bass with Soy Sauce
    Moussaka (Musaka) Recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Moussaka (Musaka) Greek Recipe

    Authentic Moussaka (Musaka) recipe that is very popular in the Mediterranean. This dish is delicious, and it is freezer friendly.
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Keyword Moussaka, Musaka
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings 9 servings
    Calories 375kcal
    Author Radwa

    Equipment

    • Baking pan
    • Baking sheet
    • Kitchen knife
    • Chopping board

    Ingredients

    • 4 eggplants , sliced
    • oil spray

    For the meat sauce:

    • 500 g minced beef
    • 1 onion , minced
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 pods cardamom
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ¾ cup tomato sauce

    For the Bechamel sauce:

    • 3 cups milk
    • 3 tablespoon butter
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ cup + 1 tablespoon plain flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Roasting the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into slices and arrange them on a baking sheet then spray them with oil, both sides. Bake the eggplants at 210C for about 20-30 minutes or until become soft.
    • Making the meat sauce: In a pot or pan, add minced onion, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, black pepper, bay leaf, and tomato sauce. Stir then cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. (Don't forget to stir occasionally.)
    • Making the bechamel sauce: In a saucepan, add oil and butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, and the milk slowly (pour it in a tiny stream) while stirring vigorously. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens then turn off the heat.
    • Assembling everything: Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a 21x21 cm baking dish.
      Top the eggplant with all the meat sauce, then cover the sauce with the rest of the eggplant slices. 
    • Finally, spread the bechamel sauce on the top.
    • Bake at 190C for 30 minutes or until the top has a lovely golden colour.
    • Remove from the oven and let it cool down for ten minutes then cut and serve.

    Notes

    • jalapeño pepper (chopped) to the meat sauce while cooking.
    • If you are cheese lover, you can sprinkle some parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese on top of the bechamel sauce for extra flavour.
    • Traditionally, this recipe calls for frying the eggplant (aubergine) slices, not roasting them. However, I tried both ways, and I found that roasting the eggplant is just as delicious as frying while also being much healthier.
    • You can roast eggplant slices ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.
    • Feel free to use minced lamb or beef in making the meat sauce.
    • If you want to make large quantities of Moussaka, just double the ingredients and make more layers. Like 3 layers eggplant slices, 2 layers meat sauce and top them with the top layer of bechamel sauce. It will look like lasagna. To make that you need to use a bigger baking dish.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 269IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg

    If you like it, pin it for later!

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    If you have a question about this Musaka Recipe, please leave a comment or contact me via the contact page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alice

      March 15, 2021 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      I like the Egyptian version of Moussaka, without bechamel sauce, just because it is easy to make.

      Reply
    2. Sadie

      March 18, 2021 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      I love Mediterranean recipes; all recipes I tried was flavourful and delicious. Can I replace ground beef with chicken??

      Reply
      • Radwa

        March 18, 2021 at 11:53 am

        Traditionally this recipe makes with minced beef. However, I never tried it with chicken. If you trie it, let me know how it turned out.

        Reply
    3. Penelope

      March 21, 2021 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! My daughter loved it. This is a lovely and delicious dinner.

      Reply
    4. Sazi m

      June 08, 2022 at 2:04 am

      The mousakka recipe is not greek recipe it is the recipe from Turkey istanbul and eagean cost where most of the greek people use to live before move to greece.These people made the mixture of turkish cuisine and greek cuisine. Mousakka is one of them.

      Reply
    5. Christopher Weihrauch

      June 09, 2022 at 6:56 pm

      That is not Mousaka and it is made in layers like lasagna.

      And eggplant is usually sliced sideways and not as chips

      Reply

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    Hello! I’m Radwa, A wife and mother. Also, I am the recipe maker and food photographer behind Healthy Life Trainer. I love making new, simple and quick recipes every day.

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