Recipe for moussaka

This moussaka recipe is especially suitable for weeknights when the food should taste great, but at the same time be easy to make. Many moussaka recipes contain countless steps, especially when it comes to the aubergines, which first need to be salted, soaked and fried. This can quickly turn into several hours in the kitchen and a lot of washing up. This recipe is easy to prepare, while still staying true to the authentic moussaka.

TIP: Also try this recipe: Greek meatballs with feta, Greek lamb chops or lamb crown with herbs and pistachios. 

Easy moussaka with oven-baked aubergines

The trick to an easier method is to bake the eggplant slices in the oven rather than frying them in oil. This way you don't have to salt the eggplants first (to draw out the liquid) and fry them in large amounts of oil. This results in a moussaka that is not only easier to prepare, but also contains significantly less oil. It dresses up the dish, especially if you use lamb, which also often has a high fat percentage, which is why the result can be somewhat heavy and "oily". With oven-baked eggplant slices, you still get a wonderful authentic taste and the right consistency. You simply cut the eggplants into slices, brush them with a little oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Then they need to be in the oven for just 10 minutes, until they are tender, while you can prepare the remaining elements of the dish. 

TIP: Also try this recipe: Middle Eastern moussaka or eggplant salad with goat cheese

Ingredients for moussaka

Moussaka consists of different layers baked together in an ovenproof dish:

Meat sauce for moussaka

Meat sauce for moussaka is made with more spices and a smaller amount of tomato than, for example, lasagna. In addition, the sauce is typically made from lamb. This gives a really good and very authentic Greek taste, but if you are not that crazy about lamb, you can easily use beef as an alternative. We can also recommend making the dish with a mixture of lamb and beef/veal, for a milder lamb taste.

Vegetable slices

We use both eggplant and potato slices in the recipe. The eggplants are baked in the oven, while the potatoes are cut into thin slices so they don't need to be cooked before being used in the dish.

Mornay sauce

For this moussaka recipe, a mornay sauce is made, where eggs are added. Mornay sauce is a milk sauce with cheese (whereas a bechamel sauce is made without cheese). We use parmesan in the sauce, which gives it a really nice flavor. The eggs are added so that the sauce sets and does not remain liquid. It becomes a little airy and beautifully golden on the surface, and is firm enough that you can cut the moussaka into nice pieces. 

Accessories for moussaka

For moussaka we recommend serving tzatziki and a salad. It can be both a fresh green salad or a fuller one Greek salad with tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. You can also try this recipe for Greek lentil salad, if you want to serve moussaka as part of a Greek buffet with several filling elements. Here it would also be obvious to make homemade pita bread.