Beef and Potato Moussaka

Name: Beef and Potato Moussaka
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 8-10 servings.
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, minced; 3/4 cup water; 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste; 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, optional; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; PARMESAN SAUCE:; 1/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups milk; 4 eggs, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 5 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

My son-who is now 27-brought home this recipe for moussaka (a classic Greek entree) when he had a sixth-grade assignment about Greece. It earned high marks when we made it for his class. Men love the hearty meat-and-potatoes combination.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
PARMESAN SAUCE:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the water, tomato paste, parsley, salt, mint if desired, cinnamon and pepper. Set aside.
For sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Add cheese and salt.
Place half of the potato slices in a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the cheese sauce and all of the meat mixture. Arrange the remaining potatoes over meat mixture; top with the remaining cheese sauce.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 285 calories, 14g fat (7g saturated fat), 129mg cholesterol, 570mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 3g fiber), 16g protein.

Originally published as Beef And Potato Moussaka in Country Woman January/February 2005

Reviews

My Review

Click stars to rate

Average Rating:

2124arizona

Jul 9, 2017

This recipe tasted great. We omitted the cinnamon, though.
LadyArmstrong

Jun 20, 2014

I thought moussaka was made with eggplant?
abrandau

Dec 31, 2013

I agree with a previous review - seemed rather bland. I wish I had put some corn in with it.
bbhagan

Dec 9, 2013

I make it with lamb instead of hamburger, bump up the amounts of spices, and cook down a can of tomatoes since I never have tomato paste. I have also found that if I bake the potatoes first, they work better because I like to cook my Moussaka in a deeper dish for more layers (the first time I had raw potatoes in the middle after baking).
ashd052406

Feb 15, 2011

I have to admit, I wasn't sure of this before I made it. But the moment I took it out of the oven I started to gain hope...it looked very nice with a nightly browned top. It tasted even better! Very hearty. When making this, like one person said the parmasan was lumpy...do two things, make sure to stir the milk/flour mixture constantly even before it boils. Place the parmasan in a small bowl and wisk it with the salt before adding to the milk and flour egg mixture. This will make it lump free. I used a hair less cinnamon/it was a nice add touch to this meal. You for sure can taste the cinnamon but I don't think it was any over powering at all! Do try this dish!!
molls9702

Jan 1, 2010

It was interesting. The cinnamon was a little strong surprisingly and the grated parm was lumpy in places.