Moussaka with Béchamel

To prepare this delicious eggplant and meat lasagna recipe, the first step is to take care of the eggplants. We slice them into pieces about 1 cm thick, then sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for an hour. This step is essential, as the salt will help draw out moisture from the eggplants, making them less bitter and easier to cook. After the hour has passed, we rinse the eggplant slices under cold running water and place them on a kitchen towel to drain well.

Next, we brush the eggplant slices with a little olive oil and place them on a baking tray, activating the grill function. We bake the eggplants on both sides until they become golden and slightly crispy. While the eggplants are cooking, we take care of the potatoes. We peel the potatoes and slice them into pieces similar to chips, but not as thin. We fry them in a deep pan with hot oil until they become golden and crispy. After frying, we place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Onion is next on our list. We grate it and put it to sauté in a pan with a little oil, stirring constantly to prevent burning. When the onion becomes translucent, we add the minced meat. We mix well and pour in 1/2 cup of water, allowing everything to sauté until the meat changes color. Then, we add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. We let the mixture simmer on low heat until the liquid evaporates almost completely.

Now we take care of the béchamel sauce. We bring the milk to a boil, but we stop one cup of it. In a bowl, we mix the flour with the reserved milk, forming a smooth paste without lumps. When the milk starts to boil, we pour in the flour paste and continuously stir over low heat until the sauce thickens and starts to boil. Once the sauce is ready, we remove it from the heat and add the egg yolks, salt, white pepper, and butter, stirring until everything melts.

For assembly, we grease a baking dish with butter and begin to layer the ingredients. The first layer will be sliced potatoes, followed by a layer of eggplants, the cooked meat, the remaining eggplants, and finally, we sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. We cover everything with the béchamel sauce and add another layer of grated cheese on top. We bake at 180°C for about an hour, or until we achieve a nice golden and appetizing crust. When ready, we let the lasagna cool slightly before cutting and serving, to allow the flavors to settle. This recipe perfectly combines the taste of eggplants with the flavor of meat and the richness of the béchamel sauce, creating a comforting and flavorful dish. Enjoy your meal!

 Ingredients: 8-9 eggplants, 4-5 potatoes, 3 large dry onions, 1 kg minced beef, 1 cup tomato juice, 1 cup oil, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, pepper. For béchamel: 10 tablespoons flour, 1 liter milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 egg yolks, salt, white pepper. grated cheese (pecorino, parmesan).

 Tags:  onion meat tomatoes potatoes milk unt flour oil life cheese eggplant recipes for children