Greek moussaka (μουσακάς). Moussaka recipe step by step with photos Greek dish moussaka

The preparation of Moussaka involves many processes. The first thing we do is turn on the oven at 200 degrees so that it has time to heat up. Take a baking dish (I have 25 by 30 cm) and grease it with olive oil using a pastry brush or a cotton pad. Peel the potatoes and onions, wash them and cut the potatoes into thin circles approximately 0.5 cm thick, and halve the onion, set aside half, and cut the other thinly, like potatoes. Place them in a bowl, pour a small amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, sprinkle with thyme and mix well. Next, we will do the same with eggplants and zucchini. Distribute the potatoes and onions in a greased pan in an even layer and place in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Greek Moussaka with Potatoes is starting to cook!
While the first layer is baking, wash the eggplants, cut them into circles the same thickness as the potatoes, maybe a little thicker, put them in a bowl, add salt, pepper, season with thyme and mix well. There is no need to add olive oil this time, otherwise the eggplants will absorb it like a sponge.

While there is time, grate Parmesan cheese on a fine grater. We take the potatoes and onions out of the oven and spread the eggplants on them in an even layer. Greek Moussaka with eggplant, the recipe for which I am sharing, should be proportional. Place in the oven for another 20 minutes.
While the next layer is baking, wash the zucchini, cut into the same circles, put in a bowl, salt, pepper, season with thyme and again with a small amount of olive oil. Mix everything well and set aside. Zucchini moussaka is incredibly delicious!

Place a large frying pan over high heat, add olive oil and leave to heat. Chop the remaining onion and peeled garlic very finely and place in a frying pan. Fry, stirring, until lightly browned, add cinnamon, mix well, then add tomato paste and mix thoroughly again. Greek moussaka must contain cinnamon!
By this time, most likely, a layer of eggplant will be baked, so take the pan out of the oven, place the zucchini on top in the same even layer and bake for another 20 minutes. Moussaka is easier to prepare in the oven than when frying vegetables, because every 20 minutes you are doing other processes rather than concentrating on vegetables.
We return to the onions with garlic and tomato paste. We put finely chopped mushrooms in the pan, you can choose any, this time I took oyster mushrooms and honey mushrooms. Stir and fry, stirring until all the water comes out and boils away, then continue frying until golden brown and add chopped tomatoes in their own juice. It is very convenient to use already chopped tomatoes in a jar, but you can do it yourself. Salt, pepper, add thyme, mix well, lower the heat to medium and leave to simmer without a lid. Delicious Greek Moussaka is rich in the taste of ripe tomatoes.
When the vegetables are cooked in the oven, take them out and set them aside (do not turn off the oven). We do the same with the mushroom-tomato sauce: it should simmer for about 20 minutes (don’t forget to stir!) until dry, then you can set it aside until further action. Cheese Moussak casserole, as you noticed, consists of layers, it will also have a tomato-mushroom layer.

Now let's prepare the Bechamel sauce! You can read the full step-by-step recipe with photos here: . It is not difficult to prepare, but it takes a long time, about 15-20 minutes. When it is ready and boils, add black pepper to it, do not add salt, because instead of salt we add Parmesan, which has already been grated - 100 g. Mix very well until the cheese is completely dissolved.
Now separate the egg yolks from the whites, put them in the Bechamel sauce and mix well again. Ready! Not Greek Moussaka, of course, but French sauce, but the cheese casserole is also about to be prepared...
Now add 1/3 of the Bechamel sauce to the prepared mushrooms and mix very well again, yes, mix again! 🙂 I warned you right away that the recipe for Greek Moussaka is not so simple 😉
Let's return to form with baked vegetables - potatoes, eggplants and zucchini have been waiting in the wings for a long time. Spread a layer of mushrooms with tomatoes and Bechamel sauce over them. Evenly! Greek Moussaka with mushrooms already smells great at this stage, honestly!
On top of the mushroom layer we distribute all the remaining Bechamel sauce, of course, evenly 😉 The cheese casserole will be soaked through with the aromas and flavors of sauces and spices.
Greek moussaka is almost ready! All that remains is to cover with the remaining cheese and put in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Look at the photo, how beautiful it is!
All! Now that’s it, really, and you know how to cook Moussaka with eggplant and potatoes! But. When you take the finished Greek Moussaka out of the oven, do not immediately cut it into pieces, no matter how much you would like to. It must stand for at least 1 hour so that the aromas are saturated and the layers are established. If you start cutting right away, the Greek dish, unfortunately, will fall apart.

After an hour, cut the Greek Moussaka dish into pieces, put it on plates and eat immediately! It won't get cold, don't worry, it just won't be incredibly hot 😉
Phew! Well, that's it! Now let's summarize.

Greek Moussaka: cheese casserole with eggplant and potatoes. The recipe is short

  1. Turn on the oven at 200 degrees and leave to warm up.
  2. We peel potatoes, onions, garlic, and wash all the vegetables at once.
  3. Cut the potatoes into circles 0.5 cm thick, cut the onion in half, set aside half, cut the other half into thin half rings, put the vegetables in a bowl, salt, pepper, sprinkle with thyme, pour a little olive oil and mix.
  4. Take a baking dish (approximately 25 by 30 cm), grease it with olive oil with a pastry brush and spread the potatoes and onions in an even layer.
  5. Place the potatoes and onions in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  6. While the potatoes are cooking, cut the eggplants into the same circles, put them in a bowl, add salt, pepper, season with thyme and mix without oil.
  7. Grate all the Parmesan cheese on a fine grater.
  8. Take the potatoes and onions out of the oven and add the next layer: distribute the eggplants evenly.
  9. Place the pan with vegetables in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
  10. At this time, cut the zucchini into the same circles, put them in a bowl, add salt, pepper, thyme, olive oil and mix.
  11. Place a large frying pan with olive oil over high heat and leave to heat.
  12. Chop the remaining half of the onion and garlic very finely, put them in a frying pan and fry, stirring, until golden brown.
  13. While the onions are frying, finely chop the mushrooms.
  14. Place the cinnamon in the pan, mix well with the onion, then add the tomato paste and mix well again.
  15. Add the mushrooms, stir and leave over high heat until all the juice has evaporated, stirring constantly.
  16. By this time the eggplants should be baked, remove the pan from the oven, spread the zucchini on top in an even layer and place in the oven for another 20 minutes.
  17. When there is no water left in the pan with mushrooms, fry them, stirring, until golden brown, and then add chopped tomatoes in their own juice, salt, pepper, add thyme, stir, reduce heat to medium and boil, stirring, for 15-20 minutes until dry mushroom minced meat.
  18. At this time, make the Bechamel sauce .
  19. When the vegetables are baked, remove the pan from the oven, but do not turn it off.
  20. When the mushrooms and tomatoes reach the desired consistency, remove them from the heat.
  21. When the Bechamel is ready and boils for the last time, remove from heat, pepper and add 100 grams of Parmesan cheese, stirring thoroughly until dissolved.
  22. Separate the yolks from the whites and add the yolks to the Bechamel sauce, stirring thoroughly again.
  23. Take 1/3 of the Bechamel sauce and add it to the mushroom and tomato minced meat and mix well again.
  24. We return to the form with vegetables, put a layer of mushroom sauce on the vegetables (use the entire mass) and distribute evenly.
  25. Pour all the remaining Bechamel sauce over the mushrooms and distribute evenly again.
  26. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is nicely browned.
  27. Remove from the oven and leave the Greek Moussaka for at least 1 hour so that the layers harden and do not fall apart when serving.
  28. Before serving, cut into pieces, place on plates and serve.
  29. Now you know how to prepare Moussaka!

Well, what then? Greek Moussaka, cheese casserole with eggplant and potatoes is ready! When you try it, you will realize that the whole cooking process was worth the divine taste! And soon I will tell you another one . You could already see before , And !

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Second courses for every day

Make a deliciously appetizing, incredibly tasty Greek moussaka with eggplant and minced meat according to our recipe with photos and videos.

45 min

440 kcal

5/5 (3)

Moussaka- a famous dish of Greek cuisine, similar to a casserole, which has become incredibly popular recently, especially among the population of our country. Looking at the colorful photo of this delicious-looking product, I decided that I would definitely find among my culinary friends a real master of Greek moussaka with eggplant, who would share the classic recipe with me.
And I was lucky - one of my friends had just returned from Greece, where she visited cooking master class this exceptionally delicious product. I implemented her recipe as quickly as I could, and was not at all disappointed - perfect moussaka in Greek, made from aromatic minced meat with eggplant and potatoes, had a simply amazing effect on my family. I decided not to keep this guide a secret, so that any of our housewives could easily prepare this delicious dish for their own family.
Did you know? There are many varieties of moussaka in the culinary world, but today we will prepare a real, classic Greek moussaka, which is usually only tasted in restaurants.

Kitchen tools

If possible in advance prepare dishes, utensils and tools, which you will definitely need when preparing moussaka with minced meat and vegetables:

  • a baking sheet or saucepan with a non-stick coating with a diameter of 23 cm;
  • a spacious frying pan with a diameter of 20 cm;
  • several bowls (deep) with a capacity of 300 to 800 ml;
  • linen and cotton towels;
  • wooden spatula;
  • teaspoons;
  • medium grater;
  • colander;
  • oven mitts;
  • tablespoons;
  • measuring cups or kitchen scales;
  • cutting board and sharp knife.

In addition, you may need food processor or blender to properly prepare some of the ingredients before adding them to the moussaka.

You will need

The basis

Important! To make Greek moussaka, you will need assorted beef, pork or minced meat, since only meat of this type retains the desired juiciness and tenderness after heat treatment. Do not use chicken or turkey meat to prepare minced meat - it will form a lump while baking the product.

Seasonings

  • 7 g table salt;
  • 8 g ground black pepper;
  • 6 g ground red pepper;
  • 2 cloves of garlic;
  • 6 g dried oregano;
  • 50 g breadcrumbs;
  • 60 g of fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro);
  • 25 – 30 g wheat flour;
  • 25 - 30 g butter.

Additionally

  • 25 ml sunflower oil.

Did you know? In addition to the above-mentioned spices and additives, you can add others, your favorite ones, to the moussaka - for example, I often add a little nutmeg, since in combination with oregano it gives the product a truly unique aroma. In addition, you can use classic seasoning mixtures, such as “French aroma” or “Provençal herbal mixture”.

Cooking sequence

Preparation

  1. Chopped meat knead with a fork or spoon, add a little table salt to it.
  2. Eggplant rinse under running water, then cut crosswise into circles no more than 1 cm thick.
  3. Place the circles one at a time in a colander, sprinkling them with table salt.
  4. Cover the bowl with eggplants, place a weight on top (you can use a pan with water) and leave for half an hour.
  5. Three tomatoes wash, cut into several pieces and grind in a food processor or blender.
  6. Onion and garlic we clean it, then finely chop it with a knife or also pass it through a food processor.

Important! The above manipulations with eggplants are necessary so that bitterness and unpleasant astringency come out of them along with the juice. Even if you have very young eggplants, do not skip this stage, so as not to be disappointed with the taste of the finished product.

First stage


Second phase

  1. Pour into the prepared roast White wine, mix thoroughly. We increase the intensity of the fire.
  2. When the wine has completely evaporated, pour the mixture prepared in a food processor into the mixture. tomatoes.
  3. Stir, add salt, black and red pepper, oregano. Continue to simmer until the liquid evaporates again.
  4. At the final stage, sprinkle the mixture breadcrumbs, stir it thoroughly again and transfer it to a separate bowl.
  5. Wash the pan and melt it butter.
  6. Add flour, stir a little and fry the mixture for a few minutes.
  7. Then in small portions pour in milk, intensively mixing the mass and eliminating large lumps.
  8. Once the sauce has thickened, pour it into a bowl and whisk a little.
  9. Separately beat the eggs and stir them into the slightly cooled sauce.

Assembling the moussaka


Did you know? An absolutely delicious moussaka with minced meat and aubergines is made using this recipe in a slow cooker: for a truly perfect result, prepare the ingredients as above using the “Stew” or “Cook” programs, and then assemble the moussaka in the bowl of the device. Cook the product for about ten to fifteen minutes in the “Casserole” mode, then leave the device in the “Warming” program for another five minutes.

Just great job, your amazingly aromatic moussaka is completely ready! Serve it with a side dish of boiled vegetables or as a separate dish - it all depends on your own taste. You can decorate moussaka greenery, tomatoes or boiled chicken eggs.

Greek moussaka with eggplant - video

In the video below you can see in detail the recipe for making Greek moussaka.

Moussaka is a multinational dish. It’s difficult to talk about its origin, and it’s probably unnecessary. The main thing is that she is loved and respected by everyone. There are actually a lot of cooking options; each country prepares it differently, and Greek moussaka always turns out incomparable.

In fact, it is a slightly modified one, to which meat, eggplant, cheese and sauce are added. For example, in eastern countries it is more similar to tomatoes, but in Croatia it may include mushrooms and even noodles. In Bulgarian cooking, the main ingredients are potatoes, minced meat, zucchini, sour cream and cabbage. In Turkey, zucchini and peas are used instead of eggplants.

Classic Greek moussaka is always prepared with the addition of eggplants, which give the dish an exquisite aroma and a unique juicy taste. This recipe was invented by chef Nicholas Celementes back in 1920. But for nutritional value, he added minced meat and poured Bechamel sauce on top of it - he borrowed this recipe from French chefs. The result was an unexpected and very tasty dish.

But be that as it may, no one knows the exact date of the “invention” of moussaka, and it is unlikely that anyone will find out. According to some sources, this dish is more than three thousand years old. If you open an Arabic cookbook from the 17th century, you can find a similar recipe called “Maghuma”.

We will not delve into the history of the famous “vegetable casserole”, but rather tell you how to prepare this Mediterranean dish and get indescribable pleasure. To make Greek moussaka truly tasty, you must respect the multi-layered structure of this dish.

Moussaka in Greek

This recipe is designed for 10 servings, but if necessary, you can simply reduce or increase the volume of ingredients used in proportion to the number of eaters.

  • one and a half kilograms of any minced meat;
  • three eggplants;
  • four fresh tomatoes, peeled;
  • six medium potatoes;
  • large head of onion;
  • sweet bell pepper;
  • three cinnamon sticks;
  • 100 gr. red wine;
  • - 200 gr.;
  • spices (spices).

To prepare Bechamel sauce:

  • half a liter of milk;
  • any cheese - 200 gr.;
  • sour cream - 50 gr.;
  • olive oil - 100 gr.;
  • flour - 30 gr.;
  • 2 cloves of garlic.

Moussaka in Greek: preparation

Wash the eggplants, cut into small circles, add salt and leave for half an hour to evaporate excess moisture. Cut fresh potatoes into slices (like eggplants) and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Place the fried potato slices on a baking sheet and lightly add salt.

Let's return to our eggplants. Wipe the slices dry with a paper towel and fry in oil, then place them on top of the potatoes. We do the same with bell peppers. Finely chop the onion, saute, add minced meat to it. When the meat and onions are well fried, pour in half a glass of wine, add spices (you can limit yourself to regular black pepper), cinnamon, chopped feta, grated tomatoes - everything is stewed for about 10 minutes. Next, place the prepared mixture on a baking sheet.

Let's start preparing the sauce. Pour olive oil into a frying pan and gradually add flour, stirring continuously until bubbles form. Very carefully pour in the milk in a thin stream and mix well, not allowing lumps to form (in extreme cases, you can strain it through a sieve). When the sauce becomes homogeneous, add sour cream, chopped garlic, grated cheese, black pepper and salt. After a minute, remove from the stove and pour the resulting sauce over the layer of meat, place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes at 180 C. Greek moussaka is delicious both hot and cold - please your loved ones with interesting and unusual culinary delights! Bon appetit!

Moussaka is one of the most popular Greek dishes. And this popularity is not accidental. It is the most famous dish of Greece, a kind of calling card. Anyone who has ever visited Greece has certainly tried this delicious dish. And I am sure that I have become a fan of this dish forever.

Moussaka is a type of vegetable casserole with meat, common in Mediterranean and Balkan countries. This dish is prepared differently everywhere, but in any case it always turns out delicious. It is not at all difficult to prepare; all the ingredients for its preparation are always sold in the store. Therefore, learning how to cook such a dish is simply necessary. After all, sometimes you really want to please your loved ones with a delicious, unusual dish.

History has not preserved information about who invented this dish and when. A description of a dish similar to it first appeared in the 13th century, and it was called “maguma”, a dish of Arab origin. Now in Arab countries, moussaka is a cold salad made from tomatoes and eggplants.

In all other countries, this is a hot dish. There are different options for preparing it; even in Greece, each housewife prepares it in her own way. Just like our housewives do not have a single recipe for borscht. No matter how much you eat borscht in every house, you won’t find the same one.

Modern moussaka, the one so loved by gourmets in many countries around the world, was invented by the famous chef Nikos Tselemendis at the beginning of the twentieth century. In this wonderful dish, he managed to combine traditional Greek peasant recipes with the sophistication of European cuisine.

We will need:

  • beef + lamb 700 gr.
  • eggplants - 1 kg.
  • potatoes - 4-5 pcs.
  • tomatoes -3-4 pcs.
  • onion -2 pcs.
  • garlic 3-4 teeth.
  • hard cheese - 250 gr. (originally Parmesan)
  • olive oil
  • dry white wine - 0.5 tbsp.
  • breadcrumbs
  • parsley
  • red capsicum
  • salt, ground black pepper

For the Bechamel sauce:

  • milk - 1 liter
  • butter - 100-120 gr. butter
  • flour -3/4 cup
  • nutmeg
  • salt - 0.5 teaspoon

Cut the eggplants into long slices, 1 cm thick, and sprinkle them generously with salt. Mix gently and leave for 30 minutes.

Cooking minced meat

1. Prepare mixed minced beef and lamb.

2. Cut the onion into small cubes. Fry it in a small amount of oil until golden brown, add minced meat. Fry well, stirring constantly.

3. Add garlic and pour in wine. Stirring occasionally, wait until it evaporates.

4. Meanwhile, pour boiling water over the tomatoes and peel them. Then chop and add to the minced meat.

5. Simmer over low heat. Then add spices and a piece of red capsicum. Don't forget to add salt and pepper.

6. You can add a little hot water to make the minced meat more juicy.

7. Simmer the minced meat until it becomes homogeneous, without lumps. Then add chopped parsley. Stir and cover with a lid.

The next step is preparing the eggplants.

1. Rinse the eggplants in cold water. Place them in a colander to drain excess liquid. Then place on paper towels.

2. Peel the potatoes, cut into 0.5 cm thick slices. Place on a baking sheet on greased baking paper.

3. Preheat the oven, bake the potatoes for 10-15 minutes.

4. During this time, fry the eggplants in portions in oil in a frying pan. If you like dishes with less oil, then eggplants can also be baked in the oven.

5. If you fry eggplants, place them on a wire rack after frying to drain off excess oil.

Preparing Bechamel sauce

1 Melt the butter in a saucepan and gradually add the flour, stirring constantly. Fry lightly, being careful not to burn.

2. Gradually pour in hot milk, stirring constantly (use a whisk).

3. Add a pinch of nutmeg, it gives a pleasant nutty aroma to the whole dish.

4. Cook the sauce over low heat until it thickens. At the same time, do not forget to stir constantly. Then remove from heat.

Cooking moussaka

We begin to assemble it into shape. It is better to use a glass form with large sides.

1. Grease the mold with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

2. Place potatoes, sprinkle with grated cheese.

3. Then a layer of eggplant, and also sprinkle with cheese.

4. Now it’s the minced meat’s turn, lay it out and distribute it evenly.

5. Place Bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with grated cheese.

6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

7. Cover the pan with foil and cover the edges tightly. And put it in the oven.

8. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil.

9. Bake for another 15 minutes, during which time the moussaka will be covered with a beautiful, rosy, aromatic crust.

10. Remove from the oven, cover with a towel and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Our delicious Greek moussaka is ready. Place on plates in portions, making sure that all layers are included in the portion. And try this wonderfully delicious dish!

Features of cooking

How to make moussaka without meat

Moussaka can be prepared not only with minced meat. It turns out very tasty even without adding it. Moreover, if you cook it tasty, it will turn out no worse.

We will need:

  • eggplants – 500 gr
  • potatoes - 2 pcs
  • tomatoes - 2 pcs.
  • onion - 1 piece
  • garlic - 2 cloves
  • hard cheese - 130 gr. (originally Parmesan)
  • olive oil
  • breadcrumbs
  • parsley
  • spices - basil, rosemary, dried ginger, nutmeg, paprika
  • red capsicum
  • salt, ground black pepper

For the Bechamel sauce:

  • milk - 0.5 liter
  • butter - 60 gr. butter
  • flour - a little less than 0.5 cups
  • nutmeg
  • salt - a pinch

Preparation:

Vegetarian moussaka should be prepared in the same way as meat moussaka. There is no particular difference in preparation.

There are only two distinctive points. Firstly, we simply ignore everything that concerns meat. That is, we simply skip these points.

Secondly, vegetarians are often against wine. Therefore, we exclude him too. And add water instead.

And at the moment when the tomatoes are fried, you can add bell pepper, cut into slices. It will give the missing aroma and sweet taste.

Everything else remains unchanged. Try it, it's very tasty!

Bon appetit!

Are you a real gourmet? Do you love experimenting in the kitchen? Love to try national dishes from different cuisines of the world. Then you will definitely like the dish - moussaka with eggplant. Moussaka in Greek is a common dish in the Balkan and Mediterranean countries, which is a type of casserole made with vegetables and meat. This dish is prepared differently everywhere, but in any case it always turns out delicious. In addition to its great taste, the dish is very healthy, which was a good reason to prepare moussaka with eggplant and minced meat today. Nutritionists around the world advise baking cooked food for health benefits, and therefore Greek moussaka should be included in the diet more often.
The mystery of the Greek dish moussaka is as follows:

  1. First, there are many recipes for making Greek casserole, sometimes radically different from each other.
  2. Secondly, the history of the origin of the food is unknown to anyone for certain, and no one can say with certainty how exactly it appeared, and accordingly no one knows the true recipe.

Moussaka is a three-layer casserole, where the bottom layer is eggplant, the middle layer is meat and tomatoes, and the top layer is bechamel sauce. I talked about the latter in an article dedicated to its flavor and national dishes. It was no coincidence that this sauce ended up in this dish; it gives it the necessary juiciness and flavor.

The Arab population eats moussaka cold. Romanians and Serbs replace eggplants with tomatoes. In Moldavian cuisine, the main part is vegetables, so potatoes and zucchini are added to it. But the main feature of the dish is that in all cases the products are placed in a fireproof container and baked together for about an hour under a white, milky sauce.
Lamb is used as the main, most satisfying component, but veal and other types of meat are also suitable. Mandatory vegetables are tomatoes, onions and eggplants, sometimes they can be supplemented with potatoes, zucchini, cabbage or mushrooms. Well, of course, you can’t skimp on spices. They must certainly be part of the dish, making its taste unsurpassed!

Greek moussaka with eggplant and minced meat, recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients:

Eggplants – 2 pieces
Veal – 300-400 g
Tomatoes – 1-2 pieces depending on size
Onions – 1 piece
Eggs – 1 piece
Flour – 2 tablespoons
Milk – 500 ml
Butter – 50 g
Hard cheese – 150 g
Dry white wine – 200 ml
Salt and ground pepper - to taste
Vegetable oil - for frying
Garlic – 2 cloves
Herbs and spices (dried basil, nutmeg, ground sweet paprika, a mixture of Provençal herbs, coriander, etc.) - to taste

The entire process of preparing Greek moussaka consists of four main stages:

  1. Preparing eggplants.
  2. Preparation of minced meat.
  3. Making bechamel sauce.
  4. Forming and baking dishes.

Stage I. Preparing the eggplants.

1. In order to prepare moussaka with eggplants and minced meat, you first need to prepare the eggplants, namely, remove the characteristic bitterness from these fruits, so as not to spoil the taste of the dish. But if your fruits are young, or have just ripened in your area, then you don’t need to do this at all, since bitterness is usually not felt in them. If you bought eggplants in a store and cannot determine for sure whether there is bitterness in the vegetables. Or you know that the vegetable is old and therefore probably contains bitterness (i.e. solanine), then it can be removed with salt. To do this, sprinkle the fruits with salt and leave for up to half an hour, then rinse with water. Now you can start cutting vegetables.

Cut the eggplants into long tongues 5 mm thick.

2. In a frying pan with vegetable oil, fry the eggplants on both sides until golden. Please note that the vegetable will absorb quite a lot of liquid. If you don’t want this, then bake the “tongues” in the oven. The dish will benefit even more from this in terms of usefulness.

Stage II. Preparing minced meat for Greek veal moussaka.

3. In another frying pan, sauté the onion, cut into half rings, until transparent. Let me remind you that you need to sauté the onion over low heat, and to prevent it from burning, you need to stir it often. It browned more than it should have because I was a little distracted and didn’t stir it in time.

4. Free the veal from the films, grind it in a meat grinder into minced meat and place it in a heated frying pan with hot oil.

5. Fry the meat over high heat until medium golden and add sautéed onion, tomato cut into small cubes, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and all the spices into the pan.

6. Mix the ingredients, pour in the wine, bring to a boil and let the stove simmer the dish under the lid over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Stage III. Preparing bechamel sauce for pouring over Greek casserole.

7. While the minced meat is stewing and soaked in all the spices, let’s prepare the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a frying pan.

8. Add wheat flour, mix well and heat the products so that the flour completely absorbs the oil.

9. Pour milk into the pan and heat it to a boil.

10. Beat in the egg and add 1/3 of the grated cheese.

11. Add salt, pepper, stir until smooth and heat the mixture for 3 minutes.

Stage IV. Forming Greek moussaka in a fireproof form and baking. Turn on the oven to preheat to 180°C.

12. When all the components are ready, let's start assembling the dish. Place the eggplant tongues tightly into the mold so that there are no empty gaps. To do this, you can lay the fried eggplant plates slightly overlapping. By the way, a rectangular shape is better for baking than a round one. Because the eggplant “tongues” fit into it easier and fit more compactly.

13. Pour the minced meat saturated with spicy aromas on top.

14. Cover the meat with the remaining “tongues” of eggplants.

15. Pour bechamel sauce over the dish.

16. But that’s not all, as a final touch, sprinkle the casserole with the remaining grated cheese and bake in a well-heated oven for half an hour.

17. The Greek dish moussaka is ready, it was beautifully baked and returned to our table from the oven with a golden, cheesy crust and captivated us with its amazing aroma. Therefore, despite the fact that the dish can be served cold, we did not become like the Arabs and immediately tasted it with the whole family. The resulting moussaka is very juicy, nutritious and incredibly tasty! The dish is usually served hot, but can also be used as a cold snack.

Now you know how to cook moussaka with eggplant and minced meat, a delicious and satisfying Greek casserole for the whole family. If you have your own vegetables from the garden for the dish, then all you have to do is buy a piece of good meat and bring this Greek culinary creation to life in your kitchen.