Ingredients
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- 1361 Grams Eggplant
- 907 Grams Ground Beef
could use ground lamb - 2 Onions
medium-sized, coarsely chopped - 1 Tomato Paste
or small can - 4 Tbsp Water
- ½ Cups Parsley
chopped fine - 1 Tsp Allspice
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
freshly ground - 2 Eggs
- ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Cups Bread Crumbs
- 4 Potatoes
peeled and sliced - ½ Cups Butter
- ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 3 Cups Milk
Additional milk if needed so sauce is not too thick - 4 Eggs
- ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Tsp Fine Salt
Method
Prep the eggplant
- 1361 Grams Eggplant
Peel the eggplants, although you can leave on the peel if you prefer. Slice into rounds about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Place in a large bowl or one side of the sink and cover with cold water. You can place a dinner plate on top of the slices to keep them submerged.
Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature. When ready to use, thoroughly rinse and drain.
In a large Frying Pan
- 907 Grams Ground Beef
could use ground lamb - 2 Onions
medium-sized, coarsely chopped - 1 Tomato Paste
or small can - 4 Tbsp Water
- ½ Cups Parsley
chopped fine - 1 Tsp Allspice
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
freshly ground - 2 Eggs
- ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Cups Bread Crumbs
- 4 Potatoes
peeled and sliced
Saute the meat in butter until cooked. Add onion and cook until soft. Drain off any fat. Mix in the tomato paste, water, parsley, allspice, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until liquid is absorbed.
Cool 30 minutes. Beat eggs and stir into the meat. Then add Parmesan cheese, half the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.
Butter a large deep baking dish (approximately 13' x 9"). Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs on the bottom. Arrange a single layer of sliced raw potatoes over the crumbs. These will absorb extra liquid and help provide structural support when serving.
Create the Moussaka Sauce
- ½ Cups Butter
- ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 3 Cups Milk
Additional milk if needed so sauce is not too thick - 4 Eggs
- ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Tsp Fine Salt
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until absorbed. Slowly stir in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.
Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Whisk the eggs together. Add a small amount of sauce to the eggs, then stir the egg mixture back into the sauce. Add the Parmeasan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should not be too thick; if necessary thin slightly with additional milk.
Arrange one third of eggplant slices on top of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking pan, fitting the slices closely together. Cover with half the meat mixture. Add another layer of eggplant and spread out the remaining meat mixture. Finish off the moussaka with a layer of eggplant.
Pour the Moussaka Sauce over all, and if you have too much use a knife to separate the eggplant slices slightly and to allow some of the sauce to drip through the the layer below.
Bake the oven in a 375ºF oven for at least 1 hour. You can poke the eggplant in the middle to ensure that it is cooked through and softened. It can sometimes take an additional 45 minutes to cook the casserole depending on the thickness of the eggplant slices. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes so that juices are absorbed. Cut into squares.
Serve with a large Greek salad.
Note: You can replace some or part of the eggplant with sliced zucchini but it’s not necessary to soak the zucchini.