Minced lamb in a wealthy tomato sauce, layered up with aubergines and potatoes and completed off with scrumptious tacky white sauce. Moussaka is ideal consolation meals.
I’ve bought a bit of shortcut to pre-cook the potatoes and aubergine for this dish, so it saves time and washing up too!
Should you’ve by no means sat in a bit of Greek taverna, consuming a stunning plate of moussaka, all washed down with a chilly Mythos, then you definitely haven’t lived.
It’s been too lengthy since I visited Greece and loved the numerous implausible dishes they’re so well-known for.
That is my model of that implausible dish. It’s taken a little bit of testing, and various aubergines (eggplant if you happen to’re within the US). I hope you like it as a lot as I do!
📋 Primary Components
📋 Cheese Sauce Components
Potatoes – Use floury potatoes, similar to Maris Piper or Russet. These are wonderful at absorbing all that flavour!
Minced Beef – I’m utilizing 10% fats minced beef as a result of that little bit of additional fats helps to raise all of the seasonings. However I don’t use any larger than 12% fats, as a result of this could trigger the meat sauce to turn out to be greasy.
Aubergines (Eggplants) – I used 3 medium-sized aubergines (approx 250g/0.55lbs per aubergine), however you should use bigger or smaller, so long as it comes out across the similar weight.
Tips on how to make it:
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card on the finish of this publish***
- Initially we need to par-cook the potatoes. I don’t do that in a pan of water (who wants one other dish to scrub!). As an alternative, I layer the peeled and sliced potatoes instantly within the moussaka dish and place some parchment on high. That is to maintain the potatoes from drying out within the oven, in order that they basically cook dinner in their very own steam.
- We additionally need to par-cook the sliced aubergines. There are sufficient aubergine slices to want two trays, however somewhat than utilizing two trays, I layer up one tray of aubergine slices, then layer up the remainder of the aubergine slices on high of the baking parchment, which is on high of the potatoes (it will assist maintain the steam of these potatoes in much more).
- The aubergine slices are seasoned and cooked within the oven with the potatoes.
- While that’s cooking I make the meat sauce. This ought to be prepared at about the identical time the potatoes and aubergines are prepared.
- Take the aubergine tray and the potato-aubergine dish out of the oven. Elevate up the parchment that’s protecting the potatoes (with the aubergines on). Watch out, there can be trapped steam, so raise it up fastidiously.
- Place the parchment with the aubergines on it to 1 aspect. Verify the potatoes are finished by sticking a knife in. They need to be fairly tender (they will return within the oven uncovered for an extra 5 minutes if wanted).
- Subsequent, we make the cheese sauce, after which it’s time to layer every little thing up.
- Layer half of the aubergine slices on high of the potatoes. Prime with half of the meat sauce. Add the remainder of the aubergines, adopted by the remainder of the meat sauce.
- End off by spooning that creamy, tacky sauce on high. Then place within the oven till the moussaka is deep golden and effervescent.
- I prefer to relaxation it for 5 minutes earlier than serving it with a stunning salad.
Professional Tip
When getting ready your potato and aubergine slices, you’ll be able to par-cook them within the dish you need to assemble the moussaka (that is to assist save on washing up). Additionally, when cooking, place the aubergine on high, this permits the liquid from the potatoes to remain on the backside of the dish, protecting them good and moist.
The tender layers of potato and aubergine absorb all these scrumptious flavours from the meat layers.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
- Some Easy Salad provides a stunning little bit of freshness!
- Or a easy, greek-style salad is a good mixture.
- Use a Heat Flatbread to mop up the remainder of that beautiful sauce!
The mix of spices creates such a posh style, and that creamy-cheesy layer on high rounds off the dish superbly.
🍲 Extra implausible Greek-inspired recipes
Sure! You may make the moussaka (or elements of it) forward in a few other ways:
1) You may make up the meat sauce as much as a day prematurely. Simply comply with the directions then shortly cool and retailer in an air-tight container within the fridge. When it’s time to assemble, par-cook the potatoes and aubergines and make the cheese sauce once they’re within the oven. Assemble the dish utilizing the chilly meat sauce (it can reheat when it’s all layered up within the oven) and cook dinner as per the directions.
2) One other solution to make the moussaka forward is by making the dish during to the top, then cool, tightly cowl and refrigerate for as much as 3 days. If you need to reheat it, you’ll be able to reheat the entire dish within the oven (reheat it lined in foil to cease it over-browning and drying out), or reheat in parts individually in both the microwave or the oven. Simply be certain that it’s piping scorching all through earlier than serving.
Should you’re reheating the entire dish, take out of the fridge an hour earlier than you need to bake it – to permit it to come back as much as room temperature (this helps to keep away from chilly spots within the center whenever you reheat). Place within the oven, lined in foil for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F till piping scorching all through.
Sure, you’ll be able to freeze this dish.
First, make the dish during to the top, as per the directions. Then you’ll be able to both go away the dish entire, or separate the parts. Shortly cool and retailer in and air-tight container within the freezer. If you need to warmth it up, defrost within the fridge the evening earlier than, then reheat as per the reheat directions above.
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For oiling the baking dish:
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Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
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Now take your moussaka dish (mine is an oblong forged iron roaster, approx 32cmx25cm and 5cm deep) and brush the bottom and sides with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.
1 tbsp olive oil
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Additionally take a big shallow baking tray and line it with baking parchment.
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Layer the potatoes over the bottom of the moussaka dish. It’s okay in the event that they’re overlapping a bit of, however not an excessive amount of, or they received’t cook dinner by way of.
3 medium potatoes
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Place a layer of baking parchment excessive of the potatoes and layer slices of aubergine excessive (this could use about half of your aubergines).
3 medium aubergines (eggplant)
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Layer the remaining aubergine slices on high of the baking parchment on the ready shallow baking tray.
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Brush the entire aubergine slices with the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt and pepper.
3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil
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Place the moussaka dish and the baking tray within the oven for 20-25 minutes (till the aubergines are evenly browned and the potatoes are tender).
For the Meat Sauce:
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In the meantime, make the meat sauce.
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Warmth the olive oil in a big frying pan over a medium-high warmth.
1 tbsp olive oil
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Add the chopped onions and fry for five minutes, stirring usually, till softened.
1 onion
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Add the lamb mince to the pan and switch up the warmth to excessive.
1 kg (2.2lbs) lamb mince – round 10% fats
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Fry the lamb mince till browned, breaking apart any chunks with a wood spoon or spatula (this could take about 5 minutes).
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Stir within the garlic and cook dinner for an extra minute, then add the purple wine. Permit to bubble for five minutes.
3 cloves garlic, 120 ml (1/2 cup) purple wine
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Crumble the inventory dice into the combination, then add within the mint, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper, tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and sugar.
1 beef or lamb inventory dice, ½ tsp dried mint, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp oregano, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 800 g (2 x 14oz) tins chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar
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Stir collectively and convey to the boil, then flip down the warmth and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
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By now the aubergines and potatoes ought to be prepared to come back out of the oven.
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Rigorously raise the baking parchment with the aubergines on that’s on high of the potatoes and place the parchment and aubergines to 1 aspect.
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Take a look at the potatoes with a knife – they need to be fairly tender. If not, place a chunk of parchment over them and place again within the oven for an extra 5 minutes.
For the Cheese Sauce:
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Now make the cheese sauce.
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Warmth the butter in a saucepan over a medium warmth till melted.
4 tbsp (60 g) unsalted butter
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Add the flour and stir into the butter utilizing a whisk for 1 minute.
4 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
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Add the milk, a splash at a time, whereas stirring with the whisk, till all of the milk is included, and you’ve got a easy sauce. Preserve stirring, till the sauce thickens (it ought to thicken simply earlier than it involves boiling level).
600 ml (2 ½ cups) full fats milk
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Flip off the warmth and stir within the parmesan.
100 g (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
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Add the egg and egg yolk and instantly stir into the sauce utilizing the whisk (it’s essential to do that straight away, so the egg doesn’t cook dinner in areas and kind lumps within the sauce).
1 massive egg, 1 egg yolk
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Stir within the nutmeg and black pepper.
pinch of nutmeg, ¼ tsp black pepper
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Now it’s time to assemble the moussaka.
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Take the baking dish that already has the potatoes within the backside. Take away the parchment off the highest (if you happen to haven’t finished so already).
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Place half of the aubergine slices on high of the potatoes.
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Spoon on half the meat sauce.
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Layer on the remaining aubergine slices.
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Spoon on the remaining meat sauce.
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Spoon on the cheese sauce, smoothing it out into an excellent layer.
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Place the moussaka within the oven to cook dinner for 25-Half-hour, till golden.
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Take out of the oven and go away to relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving.
Why don’t you salt the aubergine like another recipes do?
Some recipes (particularly older recipes) name for salting slices of aubergine earlier than utilizing in recipes.
That is to cut back bitterness and take away extra water from the aubergines.
Nonetheless, aubergines typically aren’t as bitter as they was.
Additionally, I’m evenly roasting the aubergine slices earlier than including to the moussaka – this reduces the surplus liquid and provides additional flavour to the general dish.
So we don’t must salt (after which rinse off the salt) the aubergine earlier than utilizing.
Why are you cooking the potato slices within the dish with baking parchment and aubergine sliced on high?
I cook dinner the sliced potato within the baking dish this solution to:
- Stop the necessity for me to boil the potatoes in a pan (saving on washing up)
- Stop me having to deal with scorching potato slices when making up the moussaka layers later (the potatoes keep the place they’re – within the backside of the dish, and every little thing else is layered on high).
- The baking parchment and aubergine slices go on high of the potato slices to maintain the potato slices moist and tender when cooking (we don’t need them crispy, or they received’t soak up these moussaka flavours later). The aubergine slices on high of the parchment crush the parchment on high of the potatoes to maintain it in place, and in addition saves on needing an additional tray to par-cook the aubergine slices (so we solely want one additional tray to par-cook the aubergines as a substitute of two).
Dietary data is approximate, per serving. This recipe serves 8.
Energy: 690kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 33g | Fats: 46g | Saturated Fats: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 18g | Trans Fats: 2g | Ldl cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 1.021mg | Potassium: 993mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 5mg
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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