Best Deconstructed Eggplant Moussaka Recipes

DECONSTRUCTED MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425F / 218C.
• Brush a sheet pan with some cooking oil. Spread eggplant and potatoes out in a single layer. Cover pan tightly with foil.
• Roast in the oven for 10 minutes to get the vegetables started cooking. (Watch this video for tips on roasting at high heat.)
• Once vegetables are in the oven, make bechamel sauce.
• Heat milk in the microwave just until warm to the touch (be careful not to overheat it).
• Melt butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and creamy, ~2 minutes.
• While still whisking, slowly pour milk over butter / flour mixture. Keep whisking until everything is evenly combined. Add bay leaf and nutmeg and simmer bechamel until thick and creamy, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer bechamel to a small bowl and wipe out skillet (you'll use it for cooking the meat).
• Remove roasting vegetables from the oven.
• Reduce oven to 400F / 204C.
• Remove foil from vegetables and toss vegetables with first portion of oil. Season with some salt and pepper. Return to oven and continue roasting, stirring halfway through cooking, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Return to skillet. Heat skillet with second part of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add lamb and saute, breaking it apart, until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain off as much excess liquid / grease as possible.
• Add garlic to lamb. Saute for 2 minutes more.
• Stir in wine and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks into bechamel sauce. Discard bay leaves. Pour sauce over lamb. Sprinkle cheese on top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Serve lamb over roasted vegetables. If you still have green onions from earlier in the week, you can chop some and put them on top for a pop of color. Enjoy!

EGGPLANT MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Trim off the ends of the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into 12 slices of equal width. Set aside.
• Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, and add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions are wilted. Add the meat and cook, chopping down with the edge of a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up any lumps. Add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until the meat loses its raw look.
• Add the wine, broth and 1 cup of the crushed tomatoes and stir. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Add the milk while stirring rapidly with the whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes.
• Bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg yolk, and remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the corn oil in a large nonstick skillet, and add enough eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Cook about 45 seconds on one side; turn the slices and continue cooking for about 45 seconds. Remove the slices and drain.
• Continue cooking the remaining eggplant in the same manner, adding a little more oil as necessary for each batch.
• Arrange about a third of the eggplant slices in one layer on the bottom of a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Spoon a third of the meat sauce over the eggplant slices. Continue making the layers in the same manner, ending with a layer of meat sauce. Spoon the white sauce over all.
• Sprinkle the cheese over all, and place the dish in the oven. Bake 15 minutes. If desired, run the dish briefly under the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned.

AUTHENTIC GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander set in the sink or over a plate. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the salt can draw out any bitterness.
• Meanwhile, make bechamel sauce. Heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boil. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms. Lower heat and gradually pour in hot milk, whisking constantly until bechamel sauce thickens. Season with salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Rinse eggplant slices under cold running water. Squeeze out liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk egg yolks into the cooled bechamel.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook eggplant slices in batches until each side is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a large plate lined with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook grated onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Season with allspice, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until all excess liquid has evaporated and mixture appears dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg white.
• Arrange a layer of eggplant in the prepared baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the beef mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining eggplant and sprinkle another 1/3 of Parmesan cheese on top. Pour bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the moussaka is set and golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.