How to Make Moussaka (Greek Eggplant Casserole)

Moussaka is a staple in a Greek household. It can be easily made at home, with these easy steps.

Ingredients:

For Eggplant:
3 medium sized Eggplant
3/4 cup Olive Oil For Meat Sauce (or Vegetarian Option):
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Ground Lamb or Beef (or 1 package frozen Boca Crumbles)
3 Tomatoes, chopped
1 T. Tomato Paste
1 t. dried Oregano ( or 2 t. fresh Oregano)
1/4 t. ground Allspice
Pinch ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For Bechamel Sauce:
4 T. Butter
6 T. Flour
2 cups Milk
Pinch ground Nutmeg
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1 t. Salt
White Pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel and slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil, and bake in a single layer for 10 minutes on each side. They will be golden browned. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

For meat sauce, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ground meat (or Frozen Boca Crumbles) to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes until the meat is browned or the Boca Crumbles have thawn out. Add the remaining meat sauce ingredients, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until moisture has evaporated. Set this mixture aside.

For Bechamel sauce, melt butter under low heat in a medium saute pan, add flour and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes. This will be a white sauce, so don't allow it to brown at this point. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue stiring until mixture is thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese. Set sauce aside.

To assemble moussaka, place one layer of eggplant slices on bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, overlapping slices. Spread the eggplant with 1/3 of the meat sauce, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese. Add two more layers of eggplant, meat sauce, and cheese. Cover the layers with the Bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake moussake for about 1 hour, or until mixture is bubbly and golden browned on top. Let sit for about 20 minutes after removing from oven, cut and serve.

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