Greek moussaka
Layered aubergine, potato and spiced lamb, finished with a creamy Parmesan béchamel. Comforting, dinner-party impressive.
Moussaka is proper comfort food with a bit of ceremony — layers of aubergine and potato, a richly spiced lamb ragù and a luxuriously creamy béchamel. It looks and tastes like effort, but most of the work is straightforward and you can leave it to the oven for the final flourish.
Make this for a weekend roast-alternative or when you want something that feeds a crowd and improves the next day. The salting step for the aubergines and tempering the egg yolks into the béchamel are the small pieces of technique that make this sing.
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines — about 800 g total, sliced 1 cm thick
- 2 potatoes — about 500 g total, peeled and sliced 5 mm thick
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 600 g ground lamb
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 100 ml red wine — optional but recommended
- 150 ml beef stock — or use water
- 5 ml ground cinnamon
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 ml salt — adjust to taste; used at several stages
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 50 g plain flour
- 50 g butter
- 700 ml whole milk
- 2 egg yolks — from 2 large eggs
- 80 g grated Parmesan — reserve a little for the top
- 0 ml ground nutmeg
- 10 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped, to finish
Equipment
- large frying pan
- saucepan
- ovenproof baking dish (about 30 x 20 cm)
- slotted spoon
- whisk
Instructions
Halve the aubergines lengthways and slice into 1 cm rounds. Arrange on a board, sprinkle both sides with 1 tsp of the salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes to draw out bitterness and moisture. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional.
While the aubergines rest, slice the potatoes about 5 mm thick. Put them in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7 minutes until just tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry for a minute.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the potato slices in batches until golden and crisp at the edges, 8–10 minutes per batch. Lift to a plate lined with kitchen paper and season lightly with salt.
In the same pan (add a touch more oil if needed) soften the chopped brown onion with the crushed garlic over a medium heat for 6 minutes until translucent but not coloured.
Increase the heat, add the ground lamb and season with ½ tsp salt and the black pepper. Brown the meat, breaking it up with a spoon, about 6 minutes until no longer pink.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze, let it bubble for 1–2 minutes, then add the canned chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock, ground cinnamon, dried oregano and the bay leaf. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Rinse the aubergine slices to remove excess salt, pat very dry on kitchen paper. Fry the aubergine in batches in a hot frying pan with a little olive oil until deeply golden both sides — about 12–15 minutes in total for all batches. Drain on kitchen paper and season lightly.
Make the béchamel: melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, stir in the plain flour and cook for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
Gradually whisk in the whole milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6–8 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat, whisk in half the grated Parmesan, the ground nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and temper them with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce, then whisk the warmed yolks back into the pan so the béchamel is glossy and rich.
Assemble the dish in an ovenproof baking dish (about 30 x 20 cm): a single layer of potatoes, a layer of fried aubergine, spread the meat sauce evenly, another layer of aubergine and finally pour over the béchamel. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and a little parsley.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until the top is set and golden-brown and the edges are bubbling.
Leave the moussaka to rest for 20 minutes before cutting — this helps it set so clean slices come away easily.
Tips
- Salt the aubergine well and dry thoroughly before frying — it prevents the bake from becoming greasy.
- Assemble the moussaka a little ahead and refrigerate before baking to improve slicing; add 10–15 minutes extra to the bake time if chilled.
- If the béchamel thickens too much while cooling, whisk in a splash of warmed milk to loosen it before pouring over the layers.
- Use a heavy, ovenproof dish and let the bake rest for the full 20 minutes — it sets the layers and makes neater slices.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3 days and actually taste better reheated; reheat covered at 160°C fan/180°C conventional until warmed through.
Substitutions
ground lamb → ground beef, same quantity
Stays closegrated Parmesan → grated pecorino or a mature vegetarian hard cheese, same quantity
Noticeably differentground lamb → 400 g cooked brown lentils and 200 g chopped chestnut mushrooms, sautéed until caramelised (for a vegetarian version)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 712
- Calories
- 37 g
- Protein
- 37 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this ahead?
Yes — you can cook the ragù and prepare the layers the day before, assemble cold and bake the next day (add 10–15 minutes to the bake time if chilled).
How do I stop the béchamel from splitting when I add the egg yolks?
Temper the yolks by whisking a few spoonfuls of hot béchamel into them first, then whisk the warmed yolks back into the main sauce off the heat.
Can I roast the aubergine instead of frying?
Yes — brush with oil and roast at 200°C conventional for 20–25 minutes until golden. You’ll use less oil but the texture is a touch drier.
Why salt the aubergines?
Salting draws out excess moisture and any bitterness, which prevents the finished moussaka becoming soggy and helps the aubergine caramelise when fried.
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