There are many other variations of moussaka across Greece, like one made with the artichokes commonly found on the Cycladic islands, like Tinos.

Different variations call for other vegetables, including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and sweet red peppers. For a vegan version, the meat is often replaced with chopped mushrooms or even lentils.

For the meat sauce

750 gr ground beef (shoulder)

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

600 gr chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes processed in a blender

1 tsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

½ tsp dried oregano

1 cinnamon stick

1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley

2-3 tbsp olive oil

⅓ cup dry red wine

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the vegetable layers

3-4 potatoes peeled and cut lengthwise into 1 cm slices

3 medium-size eggplants cut lengthwise into 1 cm slices

3 large zucchinis cut into 1 cm slices lengthwise

Olive oil or sunflower oil for frying

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the béchamel sauce

1.5 liter full fat milk

150 gr butter

150 gr all-purpose flour

⅛ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

250 gr grated kefalotyri (or parmesan/pecorino)

Step One

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, wide skillet. Add the minced beef, breaking it up as you stir, for about 5-7 minutes, until almost cooked.

Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and cinnamon stick, and season with salt and pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes until it looks mostly dry and then pour in the wine and stir again. Add in the tomatoes and tomato paste and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is absorbed (about an hour).  Add the oregano and parsley, adjust seasoning if necessary, and give it another stir. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and set aside.

Step Two

In the meantime, start preparing the vegetables. To reduce the bitterness of eggplants and their tendency to absorb lots of oil, soak the sliced eggplants for 15-30 minutes in lukewarm salted water and then pat them dry. Season the potatoes and zucchinis with salt and pepper to taste but make sure you pat them dry first (alternatively you may season them after frying them). Place a skillet on medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the base of your skillet.

Fry the vegetable turning them from both sides until golden (they don’t need to be cooked thoroughly, however). Place them on a tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb/drain the excess oil.

For the béchamel sauce, heat the milk in a saucepan on low heat (be careful not to boil the milk).

Place another large saucepan on medium heat and gently melt the butter. Add in the flour and mix constantly with a whisk to form a pale roux. Gradually add the warm milk while whisking constantly until you have used all the milk and the mix thickens (you want it to be medium thick, not too runny and definitely not too stiff).

Once ready, stir in the nutmeg, remove from heat and mix in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the béchamel into the meat sauce and mix with spoon.

Mix in 3-4 tablespoons of grated cheese into the remaining béchamel.

In a baking dish (I use an oval 27x37 cm dish that’s 7 cm deep), start layering the potatoes.

On top layer the zucchini and sprinkle with 2-3 tablespoons of grated cheese.

Pour the minced beef sauce on top of the vegetables and spread out evenly using the back of a spoon.

Layer the eggplants on top, pour the béchamel over the eggplants and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for about 50 minutes or until a golden crust forms on top.

When ready, remove from oven and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes before cutting it into squares. Enjoy!

To convert metric measurements to US and British kitchen units, click here.