By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2½ to 3 hours total (mostly unsupervised)
- Rating
- 5(563)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In this Balkan style Moussaka I have substituted the roasted mushroom mix for half the meat. But you can also make a vegetarian version with no meat at all. It is delicious either way, with a complex, slightly sweet Eastern Mediterranean sauce spiced with a little cinnamon, a pinch of allspice and a few cloves. Greek moussaka is topped with béchamel, which can be heavy, even gummy. But this one has a light, fluffy topping made with yogurt and eggs. There are a few steps involved here and the sauce is a long-cooking one, but you can get that started while the eggplant is roasting in the oven to speed things along or make the sauce the day before.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 8 generously
- 2 to 2½pounds (3 medium or 2 large) eggplant
- Salt
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½pound minced or ground lamb or lean beef
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 to 4large garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
- ½pound roasted mushroom mix, or for a vegetarian version 1 pound
- 2pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with juice, or 1 28-ounce can, pulsed in a food processor with juice
- ½teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3cloves, ground
- Pinch of allspice (2 or 3 berries), ground
- ½teaspoon sugar
- 1bay leaf
- ½ to 1cup hot water
- Salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1egg, beaten
- 4eggs, beaten
- 1¼cups plain Greek yogurt
- pinch of Salt
- pinch of pepper
- pinch of paprika
- ½cup freshly grated Parmesan, kefalotyri or kashkaval cheese
For the Eggplant
For the Mushroom, Meat and Tomato Filling
For the Topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
330 calories; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 1028 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 450 degrees with racks positioned in the middle and lower third. Slice eggplants lengthwise, about ⅓ inch thick. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and brush foil with olive oil. Place slices on the foil, season to taste with salt, and brush with olive oil. Place in oven and roast until soft and browned in spots, about 20 minutes, switching the pans top to bottom after 10 minutes. When done slices will look dry on the surface but when you pierce them with a knife you should be able to see that the flesh is soft. Remove from oven and carefully fold foil up over eggplant to make a foil packet, taking care not to burn yourself. It doesn’t matter if the eggplant slices pile onto each other. Crimp edges of foil so that eggplant is sealed in the packet and leave to steam inside foil for 20 to 30 minutes.
Step
2
Meanwhile make the meat and tomato filling. In a large, deep skillet or casserole heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and raise heat to medium-high. Stir in ground beef or lamb and brown for about 3 minutes. Stir in roasted mushroom mix, tomatoes, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, sugar, bay leaf, salt and enough water to barely cover meat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be thick and very fragrant. Cook uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid in pan is just about gone. Remove bay leaf, taste and add salt and pepper, and remove from heat. Allow mixture to cooled slightly, then stir in 1 beaten egg and parsley.
Step
3
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 3-quart baking dish or gratin dish. Make an even layer of half the eggplant slices over the bottom, and spread all of meat sauce on top in one layer. Top with remaining eggplant. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step
4
Meanwhile, beat together eggs and yogurt, season with salt (about ½ teaspoon) and stir in pepper and paprika. Pour over top of moussaka, scraping out every last drop with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the top. Return to oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve warm.
Tip
- The sauce can be made through Step 3 but without the egg and parsley, a couple of days ahead and kept in the refrigerator in a covered bowl. Bring back to room temperature, then stir in the beaten egg and parsley. The assembled casserole, without the egg and yogurt topping, will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen (without the topping). Bring back to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Ratings
5
out of 5
563
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Cooking Notes
Nancy
Made this once with all mushrooms and a second time with Gardein fake beef crumbles (or some such). I preferred the fake beef, which improved texture and flavor. Overall, the recipe is a total keeper with a good combination of the comforting with just enough unusual spices to lift the dish to something new. Also, the topping is a big improvement over bechamel.
ph
3 cloves = 1/4 tsp ground
Katie
Did anyone else think, what is roasted mushroom mix? https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017259-roasted-mushroom-base
Curt
Heeding various suggestions for the full-veggie version, I made sure to roast the mushrooms until virtually dry. Also added some bulgur to the tomato sauce. I think it turned out great! Good texture, hearty flavor. Definitely will make this again.
Erica
A vegetarian friend suggested using crushed walnuts instead of meat. I thought it was an interesting idea, but have yet to try it.
Neal Wilson
Made it all vegetarian. The mushroom base recipe was delicious by itself, using 4 pounds of assorted porcini, portabello and cremini. Some moussaka recipes call for potatoes for a layer, so I used a mandolin on some big white potatoes. The topping doesn't puff like traditional moussaka, but it's a good light topping. It's not traditional, grease-laden dish. I'd make it again, but I'd do the mushroom mix the day before. It's a big recipe for one day.
Neal Wilson
Potato, sliced with a mandolin, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained, can be used in place of eggplant. Slightly different, but very good.
Michael Muscaro
I'm prepping in a slightly different order. I'm roasting mushrooms, then assembling meat and mushrooms to reduce on stove top, then broiling the eggplant while the meat and mushrooms reduce.
CapnBilly
Wheat germ might be a replacement for meat in small quantities. I agree about leaving the lid off while cooking the sauce and not adding water to canned tomatoes
Melinda
This took way more time than I'd planned (next time: do mushrooms first! a day ahead, if possible), so I skipped the first oven cook time and just added the topping. It was so good I see no need to add that time back. I also worried about the top layer of eggplant getting too dry. And yes, it can serve 8, with a side veggie. Next time, I'll try some potato slices in there for a little more heft.
Russell
Add some sort of fake meat next time, needed a little something else when going veggie.
Kati
Made vegetarian with all the mushroom mix and added a layer of mashed potatoes on top before adding the yoghurt sauce - it was a big hit!!
Sue
Nice casserole for gluten free vegetarians (and omnivores!) Did 1/2 pound sliced raw Bella mushrooms and 1/2 pound raw sliced button mushrooms. That seemed like the right amount. Per some comments, added a layer of sliced roasted potatoes,which was a good idea for this mushroom only version. Parm for the cheese was fine. Even the meat eaters liked this.
NG
This was okay but not amazing.it was lighter than the original version but it lacked flavor and the texture of the topping was off.
joy3ce
This was rather disappointing. A lot of effort for not much flavor.
Jane M
Takes a long time to chop and make the mushroom mix.
Paul Feeney
I prepared this last night and it was a big hit. I skipped the lamb and went all in on mushrooms. I also added sliced pressure-cooked russet potatoes on the bottom, as this was a common variation we encountered on our recent trip to Greece. I also did a regular béchamel on the top layer. Everything else prepared as recommended. Delicious.
lori s
Next time I will add 2 tbl tomato paste, 14.5 oz of tomatoes and double the spices.
Jane
As others have noted, this takes more time than expected -- chopping and preparing the mushrooms made it feel like forever. But yum!
Liz
Made the all mushroom version! Fantastic! Time consuming the first time, but next time I make it I think the most efficient way to do it would be cookMushrooms, then sauce, and bake the eggplant last.. then prepare the “bechamel” while the eggplant steams and the sauce finished reducing
Jacqueline Kiffe
I made this three times, and I concluded1) The mushrooms are outweighed by the strong spices, and add extra work but no discernible flavor;2) The eggplant adds no flavor and unpleasantly soft texture;3) The yogurt/egg mixture negatively impacts flavor and texture.The last time, I made this with lightly-sautéed onion and red and green bell pepper, cooked separately and added to the spiced meat. It was perfect, a 20-minute meal served over rice (and next time, lo mein noodles).
Meat mushroom mix was a little watery
Do not add extra water to the mixture
Me
Use this recipe for moussaka and the other for bechamel. This yogurt bechamel was not good.Ground beef and pork mix with sh*take mushrooms.
DennisD
Excellent, as written.
Mary
This dish was very good, but not great. It required a lot of steps and although we enjoyed it, I felt the dish was missing something. I used minced lamb shoulder, fresh garden tomatoes and eggplant. Not sure I’d make again.
Matt Steele
I used puy lentils as well as mushrooms. It needs the texture for the full vegetarian version. Walnut meat works as well.
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