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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 (557g)

Recipe makes 8 servings

The following items or measurements are not included below:

kefalograviera cheese

Calories 750
Calories from Fat 410 (54%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 45.6g 70%
Saturated Fat 18.9g 94%
Monounsaturated Fat 19.8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8g
Trans Fat 1.1g
Cholesterol 179mg 59%
Sodium 1469mg 61%
Potassium 1405mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 47.2g 15%
Dietary Fiber 8.7g 34%
Sugars 8.4g
Protein 39.6g 79%

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Moussaka

Recipe #59130 | 2½ hours | 1½ hours prep | add private note
evelyn/athens

By: evelyn/athens
Apr 10, 2003

My take on traditional moussaka. The beauty of this recipe (besides great taste) is it's ability to freeze (and defrost) so well, with no loss of flavour, making it ideal for OAMC (once a month cooking).

SERVES 8 -10 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce

Directions

  1. 1
    In large, heavy saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil; saute finely ground meat, onion (very finely chopped) and crushed garlic until lightly browned; add crushed oregano, crushed basil, cinnamon, salt, ripe olives and tomato sauce; Cover and simmer slowly about 30 minutes; uncover and simmer slowly another 30 minutes.
  2. 2
    While sauce simmers, prepare Bechamel Sauce (recipe below) and eggplant; cut ends from eggplant (1 large or 2 small) and cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices (if using large, flask-type eggplant, peel the skin off in strips with a vegetable peeler - creating a striped look - with some of the peel left on and some off. If using Japanese-style (the longish, purply-white ones), don't bother to peel at all); Place on a cookie sheet and brush with remaining olive oil; Place under broiler and broil until light brown; Remove from oven, salt lightly, turn eggplant and repeat process; Then position rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees.
  3. 3
    There are three ways you can prepare the potatoes for this delicious casserole: 1) shallow-fry potato rounds in olive oil until golden-brown or, 2) for fewer calories, arrange the potato slices in your baking pan, brush lightly with olive oil, bake for 15 minutes, continue with assembly, or 3) if you want to cut calories further, parboil them for 8 minutes; drain well on paper towels.
  4. 4
    To assemble: In 13x9x2-inch baking dish, arrange layer of potatoes, overlapping slightly, season lightly (there will be only one layer of potatoes, so use them all up); next, do a layer of eggplant; sprinkle some Parmesan, cheddar and bread crumbs over eggplant; layer meat sauce, freshly grated cheeses, crumbs and Bechamel Sauce until all is used; bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees or until flecked golden-brown on top.
  5. 5
    To make Bechamel Sauce: In saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat; whisk in flour and cook slowly until smooth and lightly cooked (2-3 minutes); add salt and remove from heat; add milk, whisking rapidly and return to heat; cook until thick and bubbly, whisking constantly; allow to cool 5 minutes, whisking once in a while to prevent a skin from forming; incorporate slightly beaten eggs and grated cheese with wire whisk to make fluffy sauce.
  6. 6
    Freezer Notes: Once the baked moussaka has completely cooked, cut serving-size pieces, double-wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost in the usual manner and reheat in microwave (or oven) for a delicious, quick meal, when there's little time to cook and dinner is ready and waiting in the freezer!

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Featured Reviews for This Recipe

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From: BonnieZ

On Apr 20, 2009

This really is superb and the balance of flavors excellent. I did halve the recipe with great success, using an 8x8 square pan. Thank you Evelyn/Athens for shring the recipe.

1 person found this review helpful

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  • From: Chef #1229741

    On Apr 8, 2009

    Loved it. I made it with ground turkey for a leaner meat my husband will eat. Still tasted great and worth the effort!

    1 person found this review helpful

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  • From: Sarahcw80

    On Jun 26, 2004

    This was SOOOO good, anyone that is hesitant to make it because of ingredients or prep time don't be!! The process actually went quite quickly, the only thing I did differently was to leave out the breadcrumbs as we try not to eat them(evelyn ok'ed). When I first looked over the recipe I though it looked looked like every other lasagna type dish I've seen, well it is not! The meat is so well flavored, much more so than anything I have had before and the bechamel sauce is heavenly! No more sprinkling plain cheese over the top of anything for me! This was my first time making eggplant and evelyn steered me to a winner, you made a convert out of me! Thanks for the terrific recipe!

    7 people found this review helpful

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  • From: Okiemum

    On Jun 3, 2007

    Thank you Evelyn for this outstanding recipe. My husband has been going on about finding the right Moussaka recipe for ages. This hit the spot with raves from everyone. I only had ordinary black olives and parmesan and I used a mix of beef and lamb which seemed to work perfectly. What a great family dish!

    3 people found this review helpful

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  • Read all 29 reviews

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