The best recipes for real moussaka with and without meat. Get inspired!

Get inspired by our 9 recipes for moussaka in various versions.

Not only meat lovers, but also vegetarians will find something to their liking.

Get started!

Real Greek eggplant moussaka

This Greek recipe is really delicious. Enjoy the distinct flavor of the meat with a luxurious creamy bechamel sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggplants (thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 800 g of minced lamb (we can substitute 400 g of beef and 400 g of minced lamb)
• 420 g of crushed tomatoes from a can
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• herbs to taste (fresh coriander, parsley, basil, marjoram, chives, etc.)
• salt
• pepper

Bechamel:

• 75 g of butter
• ⅓ cup plain flour
• 2 cups of milk
• a pinch of salt and white pepper
• grated nutmeg to taste

Method

• Cut the eggplant into thin slices, add salt and leave to sweat for about 15 minutes. Then drain the excess water and dry with a clean cloth.
• Fry the eggplant slices for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
• Then transfer the baked eggplant to a plate and let it cool.
• Fry the chopped onion and garlic in hot oil until golden.
• Add the minced meat and mix it with the onion. After frying the meat, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, new spices, sweet pepper, herbs and add crushed tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
• Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the excess liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.
• Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle in the flour and, stirring constantly, create a roux, which you cook for about 1-2 minutes so that the sauce does not taste like flour.
• Gradually pour the milk into the roux and whisk everything.
• Reduce the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens. Béchamel should not be completely cooked.
• Salt, pepper and add a little grated nutmeg. Mix everything and remove from heat.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Grease a baking dish or baking pan with olive oil and start layering. Always put the eggplant first, the meat and then the béchamel. Repeat layering until material is available. You should finish by pouring over the béchamel.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden.
• Serve your delicious eggplant moussaka up to 10 minutes after you finish baking it. In this way, the flavors will be better combined and the food will be better portioned for you.

Potato moussaka

If you are a potato lover, you should definitely try this recipe!

Enjoy a delicious foreign dish that is ready in just 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 500 g boiled potatoes with skin
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 400 g of ground beef
• 1 large fleshy tomato, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• cinnamon
• Bay leaf
• allspice
• dried oregano
• ground cumin
• salt pepper
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• olive oil
• 300 ml of milk
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• nutmeg

Method

• Cut the courgette and eggplant into slices and fry well on both sides in olive oil.
• Remove the vegetables from the heat and salt them.
• Fry finely chopped onion in olive oil, add a clove of garlic, cut into slices, add meat and fry.
• Season the meat with pepper, add a pinch of cinnamon, oregano, ground cumin, bay leaf and allspice.
• Add chopped fresh tomatoes to the meat with a can of sterilized tomatoes, sweeten with a teaspoon of sugar and cook slowly for about 1 hour.
• Cut the potatoes into slices and place them on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Next, layer half of the meat mixture on top of the potatoes.
• Place a layer of eggplant and zucchini on top of the meat and repeat the process until all the material is used.
• Prepare the béchamel.
• Heat the butter and add the flour. Make a roux and start adding milk gradually. Keep stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming in the béchamel. Stir until the béchamel thickens.
• Season it with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg.
• Then pour the bechamel on the potato moussaka and bake in the oven, preheated to 190 °C for 40 minutes.

Simple moussaka with minced meat

Are you attracted by simple, quick, but at the same time very tasty and original recipes?

Then this dish is made for you!

Ingredients

• 500 g of ground beef
• 400 g of potatoes
• 2 eggplants
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 small tomato puree
• 200 ml of red wine
• 300 ml of broth
• 50 g of butter
• 0.5 l of milk
• flour
• 4 bay leaves
• salt, pepper, cinnamon, olive oil

Method

• Finely chop the onion and celery and slice the garlic.
• Fry the vegetables in oil in a pot and add the meat to it. Sauté further.
• Add 2 bay leaves, puree, cover with wine and let the alcohol boil off. Then add the broth.
• Season the mixture with salt, pepper and simmer gently.
• Cut the eggplants into slices. Salt, pepper and sprinkle with cinnamon. Then fry them on both sides.
• In a small saucepan, prepare the béchamel, seasoned with 2 bay leaves.
• Cut the peeled potatoes into slices and put part of them on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Then cover them with a little béchamel.
• Add a layer of ragout and cover with eggplant.
• Repeat until all ingredients are used.
• The last two layers should be meat and béchamel.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40-45 minutes.
• Your Greek beef moussaka is ready and now all you have to do is enjoy it!

Broccoli Moussaka

Broccoli contains a lot of magnesium, which is needed for the proper functioning of muscles and the heart. It also contains fiber and helps the proper functioning of the intestines.

Treat yourself to this vegetable miracle in the form of moussaka.

Ingredients

• 1 large turnip (can be replaced with kohlrabi)
• 1 small zucchini
• 1.5 heads of broccoli
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 eggs
• 150 ml of almond milk
• 1 teaspoon of Tunisian spices (red pepper, cumin, a little turmeric, cloves)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper
• ½ teaspoon of crushed thyme

Method

• Wash the broccoli and steam it for 10 minutes to soften it nicely.
• After cooking, put it in a bowl and mash it.
• Add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. You can also add some ground pepper.
• Peel the watercress, cut it into thin slices and divide it into two parts (half will go to the bottom and half to the surface).
• Cut the zucchini into rounds.
• Place turnip slices, broccoli in a greased baking dish and finish everything with a layer of zucchini.
• In a bowl, mix the eggs with the almond milk, add the remaining spices (half a teaspoon of salt, thyme, Tunisian spices, paprika) and pour half of this mixture over the zucchini.
• Cover everything in the baking dish with the remaining turnip and cover with the remaining mixture.
• Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 25 minutes at 180°C.
• Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes at 180°C.
• We wish you a good taste!

Original courgette moussaka

This Greek moussaka recipe is also suitable for those avoiding carbohydrates. It is prepared with beef sauce and zucchini pieces are used instead of potatoes.

The recipe is simple and the whole family will enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 400 g tomato passata
• 600 g of beef
• salt
• pepper
• 2-4 cloves of garlic (press)
• 1.5 teaspoons of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese
• 2 large courgettes (cut into slices approx. 0.5 cm wide)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• freshly chopped herbs of your choice

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a baking tray greased with olive oil.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent (approx. 3-4 minutes).
• Add the garlic and fry for about a minute more. Keep stirring to prevent the garlic from becoming bitter.
• Add meat and fry until pink.
• Stir in the passata, add the spices and bring to a boil.
• Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf from the mixture and continue cooking.
• In the prepared baking dish, alternately layer the zucchini slices with the sauce and finish with a layer of zucchini slices.
• Sprinkle the finished zucchini moussaka with parmesan cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• After baking, sprinkle the finished dish with chopped herbs and enjoy.

Serbian moussaka

This dish is similar to Greek moussaka but contains potatoes instead of eggplant.

The potatoes are sliced and layered with ground beef or pork, which is covered in a yogurt-egg sauce before baking.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 kg of potatoes
• 1 onion (diced)
• 450 g of ground beef or pork
• salt
• pepper

Glaze:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup yogurt or sour cream
• 2 cups of milk
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 1 cm wide.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan and turn up the heat. Fry until translucent and add minced meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
• Fry the meat until browned.
• While the meat is being prepared, preheat the oven to 200°C and prepare a baking tray that you grease with olive oil.
• Place half of the sliced potatoes (about 2 layers) on the bottom of the baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
• Put a layer of the meat mixture on top of the potatoes, then cover with another layer of potatoes. Continue like this until you run out of material. The top layer should be potatoes.
• In a separate bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, milk, salt and pepper and pour this mixture over the dish.
• Bake for about 1 hour until the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.
• After baking, let the Serbian moussaka stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Turkish moussaka

This recipe is suitable as a dinner if you want something quick, light and at the same time interesting.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 400 g eggplant (peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes)
• 1 onion (coarsely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon of green pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 400 g of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons of tomato passata
• 1 tablespoon chili paste (you can substitute 1 red pepper, finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 400 g fresh tomatoes (cut into pieces)
• 2 teaspoons of pepper
• water
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Mix the eggplant with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, a little salt and pepper.
• Place everything in a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• While everything is baking, heat a frying pan over high heat. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the pan and start to fry the meat. The meat does not have to be completely separated. The dish tastes great if you leave a few lumps in the meat.
• After frying, put the meat in a bowl and keep it aside. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the rest of the oil into the pan and fry the onion, seasoned with a pinch of salt. Also add green pepper.
• Stir fry for about 8-10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, tomato paste and sugar. Stir constantly and fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the meat and tomatoes to the mixture and cover with about 200 ml of water.
• Mix everything well, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat until the tomatoes break down. It will take 10-15 minutes.
• Carefully add the roasted eggplant and continue to cook until most of the water in the pan has evaporated (5-15 minutes).
• Attention! Stir carefully so the eggplants don’t break up.
• Serve the Turkish beef moussaka warm and, if you like, sprinkle it with chopped parsley.

Bulgarian moussaka with minced meat

This dish is very popular in Bulgaria, simply because it is quick, easy to prepare and tastes great.

Bring a piece of the foreign country into your kitchen as well.

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (cut into small cubes)
• 1.5 kg of ground beef (you can also choose a mix of meat and pork)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cups of milk
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 2 tablespoons of ground paprika
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper

Method

• Fry the onion until golden.
• Then add minced meat, pepper, paprika and ½ tablespoon of salt to it.
• Fry until the meat is browned.
• While the meat is frying, prepare the potatoes.
• Mix the chopped potatoes with the remaining salt. Add the potatoes to the meat mixture and bake in the oven, heated to 200°C, for 40 minutes.
• While the dish is baking, mix the milk and eggs. Pour this mixture over the Bulgarian moussaka 10 minutes before the end of baking.
• You can serve the dish immediately after baking.

Baked potatoes in the style of Greek moussaka

Do you like to bake potatoes? Then you can be inspired by this easy recipe that resembles moussaka.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
• 450 g of ground beef
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 kg potatoes (peeled and cut into 1cm slices)
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3-4 eggs
• 400 g sour cream
• 1 cup of milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Method

• Heat the oil in a deep pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry, stirring constantly.
• Then add the beef, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well.
• Fry until the meat is pink and then remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, oil and salt. Mix well using your hands.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C and grease a baking tray or baking dish with olive oil.
• Put the potatoes and the meat mixture in the baking dish and mix everything well. Bake for 40 minutes.
• While the potatoes and meat are baking, mix the cream, eggs and milk in a bowl.
• After 40 minutes of baking, remove the dish, pour over the egg mixture with cream and milk and sprinkle with parsley.
• Bake for another 20 minutes and then serve.

Vegetable moussaka

Craving the best vegetarian recipe?

So try a recipe with vegetables and a thick tomato-lentil sauce that is softened with béchamel.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants (peeled and cut lengthwise)
• salt
• 3 potatoes (peeled, sliced lengthwise)
• 2 large courgettes (sliced lengthwise)
• olive oil

Bechamel:

• ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ⅔ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ tablespoon of nutmeg
• 4 cups of semi-skimmed milk
• 2 large eggs

Lentil Sauce:

• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (pressed)
• 1 and ¼ cups lentils
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• ½ cup broth
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
• a pinch of cinnamon

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Place the salted eggplant slices on a clean towel to drain. Leave them like this for 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel.
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the flour, salt and pepper. Make a broth and add milk. While adding the milk, keep whisking with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming in the béchamel.
• Let the béchamel bubble until it thickens. But don’t boil it. Finally, grate the nutmeg into it.
• In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs and add them to the béchamel. Allow to bubble for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool and thicken.
• Now prepare the lentil sauce.
• In a saucepan, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil and add the lentils, tomatoes and stock.
• Season everything with salt, oregano, nutmeg and a small pinch of ground cinnamon.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover only partially with the lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
• While the lentil sauce is cooking, roast the vegetables.
• Put the sliced potatoes, zucchini and eggplants on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush lightly with olive oil.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
• Now grease the baking dish with olive oil and layer. First put the lentil sauce on the bottom, then the vegetables and then the rest of the lentil sauce. Pour the béchamel over the top and smooth it out.
• Bake for 45 minutes until the béchamel is golden on top.
• Allow the vegetarian moussaka to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Where did moussaka come from?

Moussaka is a layered dish with vegetables and meat.

The most famous version is moussaka, prepared from layers of eggplant slices, cheese and meat sauce, topped with a thick béchamel sauce. But other recipes also include potatoes, zucchini and other vegetables.

Recently, moussaka for vegetarians, i.e. meat-free, has also become increasingly popular.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, moussaka was a simpler dish with only vegetables and meat.

With the addition of béchamel sauce, which was invented by a Greek chef, Nikolaos Tselementes, who cooked in France, this newer version of béchamel became very popular in Greece as well.