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    Home » Dinner Recipes

    Moussaka - Eggplant Casserole Comfort Food

    by Patti Estep · Sep 1, 2016

    Jump to Recipe

    This recipe for an eggplant casserole known as Moussaka is a traditional Greek dish with middle eastern flavors. It's a great comfort food that serves a crowd.

    Moussaka Serving with Turmeric Rice

    Many of you have probably eaten or at least heard of this eggplant casserole known as Moussaka. It's great any time of year, but certainly when eggplant can be picked fresh from the garden, or bought at the farmer's market. 

    This recipe comes from my mother. I have a piece of yellow ruled paper in my recipe box with her handwriting. It probably originated from a newspaper clipping or magazine. I remember she had an entire kitchen drawer full of clippings from various newspapers, all recipes.

    Moussaka Recipe - Eggplant slices

    I'm sure I've mentioned before that my father was Lebanese, so even though I think of this as a Greek dish, it has similar middle eastern flavors.  

    For one, we always had this dish served with rice. I'm not sure if that is a Greek thing or just my family. Rice was served all the time at my house growing up. Did you notice how golden yellow it is? That's because we always add turmeric to the water before the rice boils.

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    I think traditionally they used saffron, but it is so expensive. Turmeric is a good substitute. It's easy to find in the grocery store, and lately, I've noticed a lot of talk about turmeric being great for reducing inflammation in the body, so that's a plus.

    Full Pan of Moussaka - Eggplant Casserole

    Here's what it looks like straight from the oven. This is a standard 11 x 13 baking dish, so, like lasagna, it will serve a lot of people. Especially when you serve it with rice. And, yes, it's probably one of my favorite leftover dishes. It reheats really well and keeps for days.

    My mom's recipe calls for the eggplant to be cut lengthwise, but I'm sure I've seen it in rounds. I think either way would work.

     

    Eggplant Moussaka with Rice

    A little tossed salad and you have a very hearty delicious meal. It's great for entertaining too. Bring it to a pot luck party.

    In my family, this would be something you would even see at the holidays served next to the turkey or at Easter next to the lamb or ham.  

    Enjoy. I hope you love it as much as I do.

    Patti signature

     


    P.S. I have many other Middle Eastern recipes on this blog that you may like. My Aunt Mimi's famous Authentic Hummus is a popular one. Stuffed Zucchini is something I make often in the summer when the gardens are full of squash. And, there are several others from family recipes and simple ingredients you love. Just browse through the recipe page and see what looks good.

     

    Moussaka Eggplant Casserole

    Eggplant Casserole - Moussakka

    This traditional Greek dish, Moussakka, is a favorite item that you will see on many menus in a Greek restaurant. However, it isn't difficult to make at home.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Course Dinner Recipes
    Cuisine Greek
    Servings 12
    Calories 325 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 large eggplants peeled and sliced lengthwise

    Meatsauce

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
    • 1 - 2 cloves of garlic crushed
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 large 29 oz can of tomato sauce

    Cream Sauce

    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 cups milk
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

    Instructions
     

    • Peel and slice eggplant.
    • Brush olive oil and sprinkle salt on both sides and place under broiler
    • Cook about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove and save for later
    • Saute onion in a large skillet for a few minutes.
    • Add garlic and beef stirring until browned.
    • Add oregano, basil, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir.
    • Add tomato sauce and and bring to a boil.
    • Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
    • In a separate saucepan melt butter.
    • Remove from heat and whisk in flour, salt and pepper
    • Gradually add the milk, stirring with wire whisk.
    • Place saucepan back on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring until thick.
    • Remove from heat.
    • In a small bowl beat 2 eggs.
    • Add a small amount of hot cream sauce to eggs and stir.
    • Add egg mixture to cream mixture and stir.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Use 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
    • Spray with vegetable oil.
    • Layer half of the eggplant overlapping if necessary.
    • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and cheddar cheese on top.
    • Pour all of the meat sauce on top of the eggplant spread evenly.
    • Sprinkle 2 additional tablespoons of the Parmesan and cheddar on top of the meat sauce.
    • Layer the remaining eggplant.
    • Pour the cream sauce on top and spread evenly.
    • Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 35-49 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 22gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 665mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8g

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

    Tried this recipe?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram

    Moussaka Eggplant Casserole

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Helen

      February 09, 2019 at 11:45 am

      Hi,
      For those of us outsider of the US might be useful to describe what you mean by meat and cream sauce.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 09, 2019 at 1:06 pm

        At first I didn't understand your comment but when I actually looked at the recipe again I realized that it looked like Meatsauce and Cream Sauce were listed as two ingredients when they were meant to be subtitles. It is no fixed.

        I recently switched to a new recipe card and I didn't realize this was an issue. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

        Reply

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