Greek Food Mains

Classic Greek Moussaka Recipe with Béchamel

Name: Greek Moussaka
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 3 large aubergines (about 1.2 kg); 3 medium potatoes (about 600 g); 6 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (finely chopped); 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 750 g minced beef (or half beef, half lamb); 120 ml red wine; 400 g chopped tomatoes (1 tin); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon); 1/4 tsp ground allspice; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp dried oregano; salt and black pepper (to taste); 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped); 80 g butter; 80 g plain flour; 800 ml whole milk (warmed); 2 egg yolks; 60 g kefalotyri or parmesan (grated); 1 pinch nutmeg (freshly grated); 1/2 tsp salt

Layers of aubergine and potato, a cinnamon-warmed meat sauce and a thick, golden béchamel. Greece’s great comfort bake.

Serves

Calories

560 kcal

Cuisine

Greek

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Homemade Greek moussaka in a baking tin with one portion served on a plate, showing layers of potato, aubergine, spiced beef sauce and golden béchamel

On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card

Moussaka is the dish we kept ordering in Greece: a deep tray of soft aubergine, potato and a meat sauce warmed with cinnamon, topped with a thick layer of golden béchamel. It is rich, generous and made for long lunches.

It is also a project, but not a difficult one. Each layer is simple, and most of the work can be done ahead. This version roasts the aubergine instead of frying it, which is lighter and far less work, without losing that silky texture.

Make it the day before if you can. Like most Greek oven dishes, it tastes even better the next day.

What Is Moussaka?

Greek moussaka (μουσακάς) is a layered oven bake of aubergine, often potato, and minced meat in a tomato sauce spiced with cinnamon and allspice, finished with a thick béchamel and baked until golden.

It belongs to the family of Greek ladera and magirefta, the slow-cooked, oven-baked dishes that tavernas prepare in the morning and serve through the day. In Greece it is usually eaten warm rather than piping hot, after resting long enough to slice into neat squares.

Beef, lamb or a mix of the two all work. The béchamel should be thick enough to sit on top like a custard rather than sink into the layers.

A Little History

Serving a portion of homemade moussaka from the baking tin at a Greek family table with Greek salad and bread

Dishes of layered aubergine and meat exist across the Balkans and the Middle East, and the name moussaka is related to the Arabic word musaqqa‘a.

The Greek version as most people know it today was shaped in the 1920s by Nikolaos Tselementes, an influential Greek chef trained in Europe. He added the French-style béchamel topping, which turned moussaka into the layered bake now found in every Greek taverna.

Today it is one of the best-known Greek dishes in the world and a fixture of Sunday lunches and family gatherings in Greece.

At a glance

Serves

Calories

560 kcal

Protein

28 g

Course

Main

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Why it works

01 Roasted aubergine: lighter than frying

02 Thick béchamel that sets in clean layers

03 Make ahead and freeze in portions

Homemade Greek moussaka in a baking tin seen from above, one portion cut out showing the layers

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What You Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card

For the Vegetables

large aubergines, about 1.2 kg
medium potatoes, about 600 g
olive oil
salt

For the Meat Sauce

olive oil
onion, finely chopped
garlic cloves, finely chopped
minced beef, or half beef, half lamb
red wine
chopped tomatoes, 1 tin
tomato paste
cinnamon stick, or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
ground allspice
bay leaf
dried oregano
salt and black pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, chopped

For the Béchamel

butter
plain flour
whole milk, warmed
egg yolks
kefalotyri or parmesan, grated
nutmeg, freshly grated
salt

Ingredients for Greek moussaka: aubergines, potatoes, minced beef, tomatoes, red wine, cinnamon, butter, flour, milk, eggs and cheese

Step-by-Step Instructions

Moussaka is built in layers, so work in stages: roast the vegetables while the meat sauce simmers, make the béchamel last, then assemble and bake.

Slicing aubergines into rounds and salting them in a colander for moussaka

1. Prepare the aubergines

Slice the aubergines into 1 cm rounds, sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for 30 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper.

Tip: Salting draws out moisture so the aubergine roasts silky rather than spongy.

Trays of roasted aubergine rounds and potato slices for moussaka

2. Roast the vegetables

Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Peel the potatoes and slice them 5 mm thick. Spread the aubergine and potato on lined baking trays, brush both sides with olive oil and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until soft and lightly golden.

Simmering minced beef and tomato sauce with a cinnamon stick and bay leaf for moussaka

3. Make the meat sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and minced meat and brown well. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and oregano. Simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes until thick, season, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and stir in the parsley.

Tip: The sauce should be thick, not wet. If it is watery, the moussaka won’t hold its layers.

Whisking a thick béchamel sauce in a saucepan for moussaka

4. Make the béchamel

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and cook, whisking, for 5 to 8 minutes until thick. Take off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks, half the cheese, the nutmeg and salt.

5. Assemble and bake

Lower the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Layer the potatoes in the dish, then half the aubergine, all the meat sauce and the rest of the aubergine. Spread the béchamel over the top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until deep golden. Rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Serving & Storage

Serving

Serve moussaka warm rather than straight from the oven, with a Greek salad and crusty bread. Resting lets it set so it slices into clean squares.

It is a complete meal on its own, but tzatziki and a simple green salad dressed with lemon and olive oil are good on the side.

Storing Leftovers

Moussaka keeps very well and is a great make-ahead dish. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.

Baked moussaka	up to 4 days
Meat sauce	up to 3 days
Freezer (baked, in portions)	up to 3 months

Reheat covered with foil in a 180 °C oven for 20 to 30 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the fridge first.

Greek Moussaka

Layers of aubergine and potato, a cinnamon-warmed meat sauce and a thick, golden béchamel. Greece’s great comfort bake.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 45

Rest 30

Total Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 560

Equipment

23 x 33 cm baking dish
2 baking trays
Large frying pan
Medium saucepan
whisk

Ingredients

Vegetables

3 large aubergines about 1.2 kg
3 medium potatoes about 600 g
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Meat Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
750 g minced beef or half beef, half lamb
120 ml red wine
400 g chopped tomatoes 1 tin
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Béchamel

80 g butter
80 g plain flour
800 ml whole milk warmed
2 egg yolks
60 g kefalotyri or parmesan grated
1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
1/2 tsp salt

For a vegetarian moussaka, replace the meat with 500 g cooked green lentils and 250 g chopped mushrooms.

You can skip the potatoes for a lighter version; use one extra aubergine.

Instructions

Slice the aubergines into 1 cm rounds, sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for 30 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Peel the potatoes and slice them 5 mm thick. Spread the aubergine and potato on lined baking trays, brush both sides with olive oil and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and minced meat and brown well. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and oregano. Simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes until thick, season, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and stir in the parsley.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and cook, whisking, for 5 to 8 minutes until thick. Take off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks, half the cheese, the nutmeg and salt.
Lower the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Layer the potatoes in the dish, then half the aubergine, all the meat sauce and the rest of the aubergine. Spread the béchamel over the top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until deep golden. Rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

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Rate it with the stars in the recipe card and tell us how it went in the comments: beef or lamb, with or without potatoes, and whether it lasted until the next day.

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