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Moussaka with potatoes and eggplant

Moussaka with Potatoes and Eggplant

Bright, juicy, savory, and delicious! Moussaka with potatoes and eggplant is a beloved classic of Balkan and Middle Eastern cooking — a layered casserole of ground meat and vegetables. It turns out incredibly juicy and hearty, and a single slice can stand in for a full meal.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Ground meat (I used veal)

500

Potatoes

Eggplant

Tomatoes (small)

Garlic

Hard cheese

Tomato juice

250

Vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 22 % 5 g

Fats 52 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 26 % 6 g

154 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make moussaka with potatoes and eggplant? Gather your ingredients. Lamb is the traditional choice for the meat, but use whatever you like or have on hand — I went with ground veal. Wash and dry the vegetables and peel the potatoes.
Step 2:

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into planks about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Salt them and let them sit for 15 minutes until they release their juices. Drain off the liquid, rinse the eggplant, and pat dry with paper towels — this draws out any bitterness.
Step 3:

Heat a skillet over medium and add oil for frying. Fry the eggplant on both sides until golden, working in batches and adding more oil as needed.
Step 4:

Finely chop the garlic.
Step 5:

Heat vegetable oil in a second skillet and fry the garlic for about a minute.
Step 6:

Add the ground meat to the pan. Fry for 15 minutes, breaking up any clumps. Season with salt and pepper at the end and stir.
Step 7:

Slice the potatoes into rounds.
Step 8:

Slice the tomatoes into rounds as well.
Step 9:

Grate the cheese on the coarse side of a grater. Any cheese works for this dish — hard, semi-hard, or soft like mozzarella. Just make sure it's good-quality, tasty, free of milk-fat substitutes, and melts well.
Step 10:

Arrange the potato rounds in an overlapping layer in a baking dish. Spread half of the meat over the top.
Step 11:

Sprinkle half of the cheese over the meat.
Step 12:

Pour some of the tomato juice over the meat. Repeat the layers of meat and cheese, then pour over the rest of the juice. No tomato juice on hand? If you have a can of tomato paste, just thin it with clean drinking water at a 1:2 ratio — that's 200 ml water for every 100 g of paste.
Step 13:

Arrange the eggplant planks neatly over the top so they completely cover the upper layer.
Step 14:

Lay the tomato rounds over the eggplant. If you like, scatter a little more grated cheese on top. Bake the moussaka for about 25 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
Step 15:

Garnish the finished moussaka with fresh herbs, cut into portions, and serve. Enjoy!

Choose tomatoes that are juicy but firm. Soft ones don't hold their shape — they'll fall apart into mush as you slice and bake, ruining the look of the dish.
Every oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, past which it starts to burn and forms harmful compounds. For how to gauge frying temperature and pick the best oil for the job (and which to avoid), see here.
Remember that every oven runs a little differently, so your temperature and timing may vary from what's listed. For reliable results with any baked dish, check out these tips on how ovens behave!