Lamb · Greek
Greek Lamb Moussaka
Moussaka is Greece's great baked casserole: silky eggplant, a cinnamon-scented lamb ragù and a thick béchamel crust. Organic, grass-fed ground lamb gives the sauce its traditional rich flavor. It takes some time, but it's ideal for feeding a crowd and tastes even better the next day.
- Prep45 min
- Cook90 min
- Total135 min
- Servings8
Ingredients
- 800 g ground lamb $345
- 2 organic eggs (for the béchamel) $90
- 3 large eggplants, sliced 1 cm thick
- 2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (optional base layer)
- 1 onion, finely chopped, and 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup red wine, 2 tbsp tomato paste and 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 bay leaf
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
- Béchamel: 80 g butter, 80 g flour, 800 ml milk, nutmeg
- 80 g grated kefalotyri or Parmigiano
Instructions
- Salt the eggplant slices, let them sit 30 minutes, pat dry, brush with olive oil and roast at 220 °C for 20-25 minutes until golden. Roast the potato slices the same way for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, brown the ground lamb in a little oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.
- Add the wine and let it reduce, then the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, spices and bay leaf. Simmer 30 minutes until thick. Season and remove the cinnamon and bay.
- For the béchamel, melt the butter, whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then add the milk gradually and whisk until thick. Off the heat, whisk in the eggs, half the cheese and nutmeg.
- In a 23 x 33 cm baking dish, layer the potatoes, half the eggplant, all the meat sauce, then the rest of the eggplant.
- Pour the béchamel over the top, smooth it out and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 180 °C for 45 minutes until deep golden.
- Let it rest at least 30 minutes before cutting so the layers hold.
Tips
- Roasting the eggplant instead of frying it makes a lighter moussaka.
- Assemble a day ahead and bake before serving.
