Homemade Moussaka

Since I got a good deal at my local market for eggplants, I wanted to make something new I have not tried to make before. I found a recipe for Eggplant Moussaka. Moussaka is a Greek style dish using eggplants—you can compare it to the Italian dish lasagna. Moussaka uses eggplants instead of Lasagna Noodles and a bechemel sauce instead of the ricotta filling and it can be made with ground beef (cheaper) or ground lamb. The version I did was an easier way of making moussaka and uses ground beef instead of ground lamb. It consist of a ground beef/eggplant filling on the bottom and a bechemel sauce on the top instead of layering the ground beef and eggplant slices. This recipe is easy to make for a potluck, a crowd, or to make and freeze so you have food for the week.

Finished eggplant moussaka dish

Side view of the eggplant moussaka
Bottom layer: ground beef/eggplant mixture; top layer: bechemel sauce

Eggplant Moussaka Recipe:
for the ground beef—
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 lbs. eggplant cubed
1 cup diced onions
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
kosher salt and black pepper

Bechemel sauce—
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. coat a casserole dish with oil.
2. cook ground beef in oil in skillet over medium high heat. break up big chunks. Drain fat, add eggplants, onions, garlic, oregano and cinnamon; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.
3. make bechemel sauce

Bechemel sauce—
1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. whisk in flour; cook for 1 minute. add milk and bring to a boil. whisk until thickened.
2. remove from heat, add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
3. whisk eggs in a bowl and add some of the hot milk mixture to the eggs; whisk egg/milk mix into the rest of the milk mixture.

Assemble—
1. layer the ground beef mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish; top with the bechemel sauce. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese. Bake until top is golden brown, 45-55 minutes.
2. cool Moussaka for 20 minutes before serving.