Eggplant Moussaka Recipe

Classic Greek Style Lasagna Featuring Eggplant, Tomato & Parsley

© Lynn Smythe

Mar 27, 2009

Eggplant moussaka is a classic Greek inspired dish. Moussaka is similar to an eggplant lasagna. Although it can be a bit time consuming to make, moussaka is a hearty and delicious meal. Serve Eggplant Moussaka with a side salad and some French or Italian bread and make it the star attraction at a dinner celebration.

Eggplant moussaka can be broken down into 5 main steps. The moussaka should be made in the following order.

1. Precook eggplant
2. Make the cream sauce
3. Make the tomato sauce
4. Cook the meat filling
5. Assemble pre-made ingredients 1-4 and bake moussaka

Ingredients to Precook Eggplant

• 1 large or two medium eggplants
• Olive oil

Directions to Precook Eggplant

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the ends off the eggplant.
3. Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
4. Coat the bottom of a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
5. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of the baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle the top of the eggplant slices with another tablespoon of olive oil.
7. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the eggplant slices over.
9. Add additional olive oil if any of the eggplant slices look dry.
10. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside on a wire rack.
12. Continue cooking the eggplant in this manner until all the slices have been precooked.

Ingredients for the Cream Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions for the Cream Sauce

1. Add the butter to a small sauce pan.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Whisk in the flour, nutmeg and salt and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the milk and bring to a boil while continually whisking.
5. Remove the cream sauce from the heat and let cool slightly.
6. Add the egg to a small bowl and lightly whisk.
7. Whisk the egg into the cream sauce.

Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 stalks celery - diced
• 1 large onion - minced
• 2 cups chunky tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley - chopped

Directions for the Tomato Sauce

1. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and place over medium heat.
2. Add the celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften.
3. Add the minced onion to the pan and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce, and heat until the sauce is heated through.
5. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the parsley and set aside.

Ingredients for the Meat Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions for the Meat Filling

1. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and place over medium heat.
2. Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook until no longer pink in the center.
3. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Ingredients for Assembling Eggplant Moussaka

• Tomato sauce
• Meat filling
• Precooked eggplant slices
• Cream sauce

Directions for Assembling and Cooking the Eggplant Moussaka

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Spread half of the tomato sauce mixture on the bottom of a 13" by 9" glass baking pan.
3. Spread half the turkey meat filling over the layer of tomato sauce.
4. Layer half of the precooked eggplant slices over the meat filling.
5. Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top of the eggplant layer.
6. Spread the remaining meat filling over the tomato sauce.
7. Layer the remaining eggplant slices over the meat filling.
8. Pour the cream sauce over the eggplant layer.
9. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the cream sauce.
10. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the moussaka is bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned.

Recipe Tips and Suggestions

Ground beef can be substituted for the ground turkey.The olive oil can be eliminated if using ground beef.

Vegetarian Eggplant Moussaka

A vegetarian version of Eggplant Moussaka can be made by following a few simple guidelines.

• Substitute vegetable oil for the butter that is used in the cream sauce. Substitute plain soy milk or rice milk for the milk.
• Substitute 3 pounds mushrooms for the ground turkey. Mushrooms contain a lot of water, they will loose volume when fully cooked, thus use 3 pounds of cleaned and sliced mushrooms in place of the ground turkey.
• Omit the Parmesan cheese that is sprinkled on top of the moussaka before placing it in the oven.

Eggplant Moussaka

Ingredients for Eggplant Moussaka

Fresh Nutmeg with Nutmeg Grater

Tomato Sauce

Layered Precooked Eggplant

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