Best Greek Moussaka - my Dad's 5 Secret Recipe | Christine Cushing
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- Опубліковано 28 січ 2025
- When you talk about family heirloom recipes, this is probably my family's most cherished and favourite. My dad made the best moussaka I've ever tasted, period. Here are his top 5 secrets with my added small tweaks. You can find the full bechamel video below in my last episode. FULL RECIPE BELOW.
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RECIPE: MOUSSAKA
Sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil (30 ml)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 lbs lean ground beef (950 gm)
1 jar of cc sauce or 28 oz. Can plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste (15 ml)
1tsp. Greek dried oregano (5 ml)
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp. ground cayenne
2 japanese eggplant, thinly sliced
3 zucchini, thinly sliced on bias
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and pepper dried oregano to taste
olive oil for baking
Bechamel sauce
1/3 cup butter (80 ml)
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. flour (95 ml)
4 cups milk (1 L)
salt and pepper
grated nutmeg to taste
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (50 ml)
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
Sauce
In a large skillet, brown meat in olive oil, as per video, until evenly browned. Add onion and sweat until soft and lastly, add garlic and saute for another two minutes. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and stir well. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 D. Brush a large baking sheet with olive and arrange potato slices also brushed with oil. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and cayenne. Bake potatoes until golden brown and tender at 375 D for about 14-16 minutes.
Repeat with eggplant and zucchini baked in oven at 375 D .
Bechamel
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour. Cook over medium heat until blended. Remove from heat and gradually add cold milk, stirring continuously. Keep stirring over medium heat until sauce comes to a boil. Add the salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Remove from heat and whisk in beaten egg yolks Add grated cheese.
To assemble
Preheat oven to 350 D. F.
Brush a baking dish ( 14x 10 “) with oil. Arrange potatoes in bottom of dish topped with half of the meat sauce. Arrange eggplant and zucchini on top and top with remaining meat sauce. Pour Bechamel sauce over vegetables , spreading evenly.
Bake for about 40 min. minutes or until Bechamel is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.
Serves 8
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#Moussaka #GreekFood
I have made this 3 times now and each time it gets better as I make it with more love and really do brown that meat- it adds so much depth of taste to the meat sauce. 5 stars
fabulous video , THANK YOU !! huge hugs from the uk , Gary
I used this recipe in a moussaka cook-off and I WON - this recipe is great!!!
Oh wow ! That is so awesome 💥😜
Christine what a sheer delight to have you in my home sharing you wonderful cooking skills. I could watch you washing the windows and be amazed by you. I hope you like knowing people admire you so much.
To this day it is the only authentic recipe with less fat for Moussaka that I have seen ... thank you so much for sharing your grandfather's secrets!
I always found you to be a very straight forward chef who says and does it your way. I loved watching you on CTV back in the days and I am so happy that you are sharing some real amazing Greek family recopies. This is better then my moms. SHHHH!!! keep up the great work, !!!!
Oh I would never mess with mamma ! Are you kidding me ? Thanks so much
You are my go to for accurate recipes! ❤
Thank you and I'm glad you appreciate it .
I know this is an older video, but I just have to say that this is the best moussaka I've ever made, or eaten. I have large family with five kids, and it's hard to find dinners that everyone likes. This is one of them, which makes the work of it totally worth it. Thank you!
That is awesome!. We also love it in our house. My dad would have been very happy to hear it.
This is the best! I've made it 4 times and the whole family loves it. And I'm getting better at trashing the kitchen a little less each time! Takes me back to a wonderful Greek taverna in my native Australia from 30 years ago. (I live in France now.) Thanks for all your technique tips in your other recipes.
That is awesome ! Less trashing is good. !
Your enthusiasm is infectious found you by accident looking for the easiest good recipe and technique ..i found it here ty...
Thank you so much. Glad you discovered my channel.
As an ex chef who started his career in a Greek restaurant, the only thing I can say is, "Yum!" I am going to make this remembering those Greek brothers who started me off. Tank you, Christine.
My pleasure ! You will definitely love it..
@@ChristineCushing great!,
Thanks! Just made it and boy is my body happy!!!
I cooked this recipe this weekend and it was amazing! For those of you without cinnamon sticks or whole cloves I recommend just using ground cinnamon and clove. Works just fine. Just make sure you put a bit in at a time (1 tablespoon or so) and continuously adjust tasting. Also, I added a bit of nutmeg to my sauce. Besides these minor adjustments due to what I had on hand, this IS AMAZING! My. Bf can’t get enough of it.
Fast forward 3 years and my fiancé still requests me to make this recipe!
1 Tbsp is definitely going to be WAY too much. Start at 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/16 of ground cloves and allspice.
Good that you are baking the veggies and not frying like other recipes….👍 gonna try this sometime!!
Christine, we love you year round, but especially around the holidays. Merry Christmas.
Thanks so much. Merry Christmas and happy 2024 !
I made this for my college age step son and his girlfriend. They loved it! My wife never had it and she loved it. Me too! Thank you! Your pastitsio is excellent also
That is so amazing to hear. My dad ruled this recipe . It's tough to pick a winner between this and pastitsio. Thank you for sharing
I had moussaka when I was on the island of Naxos last year at a little restaurant I discovered and it was one of my deepest food and travel memories ever. You've inspired me to try to make this.
Oooh yes. You must make this. You will be transported ! Thank you
So good that it’s now a family favourite
He would be so happy to hear that ! Love it
Her recipes are so easy to prepare and make.
I will try this today
How did it turn out?
I am from Greece. My favourite food!!!! Super nice 👌
I am quarter Greek on my mums side but she was to Shown how to cook Greek food has has now passed and i wanted to learn how to cook good Greek food and I found you and I am now starting to learn now to cook good Greek food thank you so much big love to you and your family and your lovely dad Tony 👨 😊
Many thanks
Love the recipe and Christine is lovely lady and a joy to watch
Thank you 🇬🇷😀
Great recipe I made it also with precooked with bay leaf and allspice lentil and it was also great
Your the best Christine, bravo sou!
Euxaristo !
Thank you Christine for your dad's moussaka recipe i made it today and its the best I've ever had
I always love to hear that ! As you know, I agree. Thank you
Perfection! You know it’s good when everyone at the table goes silent. Thank you for including your dad’s tips and tricks. It even tastes better the next day. 😄
That is literally the test. When all the Greeks are quiet you know it's magic.
I tasted a delicious Moussaka when I went to Greece! Brings back memories! Thank you, will definitely try this! 🙏🤗
Thank you so much iv made this many times! but I tried your brown the meat trick and omg changed my life ❤❤❤
I'm so glad you tried it. It really is a game changer. Thank you
Great recipe! My go to!
So amazing! I'm craving and must make it soon.
Thanks for all the great recipes mousakka is my favourite
FROM ONE ITALIAN TO A GREEK.. THAT LOOKS SO DELICIOUS... AND I'M MAKING IT THIS WEEK.... THANKS FOR SHARING...LOVE YOUR VIDEOS...
Ciao Cathy. Let me know how it was from a Greek to an Italian !
Hi Christine, that looks so yummy I can't wait to make it. Your Dad Tony is a great man.
Thank you ! Indeed.
Love your channel, and love greek food, greek culture and greek people ❤️
Thank you so much !
Thank you. Looks yummy❤❤❤
Very nice instructional video, and the "secret tips" are very useful and welcome.
Thank you . The little details do make a big difference. I'm glad you enjoyed it and will continue to tune in for more fun videos.
Just had a great dinner with friends, we loved your moussaka! Thank you for the tips!
So great !
This was a fantastic dinner party recipe! My guests just loved it! Said it was the best Moussaka they’ve ever tasted. I prepared everything the day before, except the Béchamel, which I made the day of the dinner and refrigerated it a few hours. This is advisable, as it is time consuming. I added 15-20 minutes to the baking time as it went from fridge to the oven. Must sit for about 40 minutes before serving. Thank you Christine! I will make it again!
Clapping right now! That is so great. My dad would be so happy. All your decisions were right on the money. Thank you for watching and making it..
So happy you posted this. Very helpful for me as I'm having guests and I'm not a confident cook. I will be calm and oh, so cool making this before they come. Thank you.
I made this tonight for the very first time. I love your channel. It smells amazing and we are waiting for it to cool so we can dig in. I taste tested along the way and what an amazing dish this is. Very easy to make and yes my kitchen is a mess but so worth it. Love the tip about browning meat. I will definitely be doing this with all my ground meat dishes. Yummy flavor. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and family recipes. I love learning history behind family recipes.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad this epic family recipe has become a favourite for you too. !
Baking them is such a great idea
So yummy recipe
Many thanks,
And I am back to say.... The best Moussaca in the world! Thank you for making it so easy to all of us. I made it 1 St time in my life. It was unbelievable and I can not stop cooking it for friends. Massive hug and thank you from UK🥰🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘😘❤❤👩🏻🍳
How amazing to hear that ! My dad would’ve been so ecstatic to hear it although he would want to come and make it for you ! Sending you greetings back from Canada
Thank you dear Christine for sharing your father's recipe , I prefer this one so much more than frying all the vegies and I will be making it soon mmmmmmmm
Thank you for this great recipe! My husband loved it and I’ve made a vegetarian version for myself. We really enjoyed it. All the best from germany 🤗
Thank you Nikki for posting your results of my Moussaka! It's great that you made a vegetarian version also ( i often do that ) Stay tuned for more videos.
Do you use what I like to call “my fake meat” so a soy ground beef product? That is what I want to try...
my compliments for this recipe the parmesan touch is wonderfull.Thank-you for sharing and greetings for your Dad
Christine...thanks so much for including metric measurements! Many American cooks don't seem to know they exist! Cheers from Downunder!!
Cheers to you too ! I am Canadian so we are sort of trapped in both worlds. We have to write in both metric and imperial. Glad you appreciate it.
This is the absolute BEST!! I have made it using your recipe and it is a huge mess, but as you know, worth every dish and space needed to clean up!! Bravo Christine!
That is so great ! I hope it becomes a regular on your repertoire. More videos coming...
That was INCREDIBLE.
MilletteKish thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it
I made this exactly to your recipe and it was the best moussaka I've ever tried. Thank you - the browning of the meat was a revelation! It really makes all the difference I think. Thanks again, from Western Australia
Katie Brent thank you so much for trusting my technique. It’s amazing how the little things can make such a difference. I send as much positive energy and hope you get rain in your beautiful homeland of Australia. It is so tragic ! We here in Canada send you much love.
@@ChristineCushing thank you Christine! It is terrible in the southern states, luckily here in Western Australia we have been spared due to our very sparse population - but the wildlife have suffered so much. Thank you for your best wishes to us in Australia.
I'm loving what you said about the browned meat! At first I was like its too done but I understand the outcome. Great video
Thank you !. Yes, it's all about creating that roasted flavour. The meat will absorb liquid as it simmers in the sauce. Thanks for watching
I agree, tastes so beefy done correctly🙋🙏
Hello from your newest fan and subscriber ! Great instruction and presentation but your personality is the kicker !
Thank you so much for the SUB and enjoy the videos. See you in the kitchen.
wonderful video christine... much love to you + your dad
Growing up, my Yaya made the most amazing Moussaka! After she passed, no one could find her recipe and though we tried numerous variations over the years, we never got all the way there. Your dad's recipe is the nearest we've gotten! It's soooooo good! I screwed up and didn't let the bechamel thicken quite enough, but it tasted amazing! This is now my go to when I want a little taste of my childhood. Thank you for sharing!
I made it to my own recipe last night, wonderful.
Glad you liked it
Another favorite!! I’m really hungry now!
Adding this to my restaurant menu.. Thanks!
That's great! I know people will love it.
Thanks for the great recipe, Christine!😘
Much appreciation !
You are the best. i think i will make it today my son loves the pastitsio and mousaka. thank you for this video keep doing it
I really love your moussaka recipe it's look great especially the way you cook the meat sauce.I love brown crispy ground beef.Perfect moussaka.
Hi There, I just noticed that I didn't respond to your comment. I think you would love this moussaka. Thanks for watching
I made this today and it was insanely delicious!! Thank you for the great recipes . 😋
I just saw your great comment now. My pleasure and I'm so glad you loved it as much as I do.
Hello, I think your Dad was a genius! I made this however I used lamb it was delish. Also in the UK we call them courgettes and aubergines so your Dad was right 😉 thanks for sharing 👍
My pleasure. ! Thank you
I made it and it was amazing, thank you
My pleasure ! So glad you love it.
This looks like an amazing recipe! We have shared with our community!
Thank you very much !
Delicious Moussaka. Family loved it. I made it with lamb mince however will try with beef mince next time. Many thanks. B
So glad. Thank you
I love the addition of parm cheese ! And the baked veg. Will be making this wknd. Just love Greek food. I live in Toronto greektown since 1995. So I get spoiled.
My mother in law has brought me some beautiful eggplants and zucchini from her garden, Ive made plenty of moussaka through the years but looking forward to your dads recipe.. thanks Christine!
Thanks for this Charlotte. Eggplant and zucchini from the garden....mmm. I hope you have tried my ( Dad's) moussaka and enjoyed it
All I can say is....FABULOUS!!!!❤️
Thank you ! Tony would be happy
One of my top 5 dishes, and it looks incredible. I was so excited to discover your channel a few days ago, because “C C Live” was my all time favourite cooking show! You’re an amazing chef, and you really taught us how to prepare something and why. Many shows are fun, but eye candy - you don’t really learn anything. Today, watching this, I just learned I don’t actually brown my beef :) It’s very generous of you to share your recipes with us, and I can’t wait to work my way through them. Starting with your lemon potatoes tonight. Thank you!!
Thanks so much! I had so much fun on CC live and with this channel I'd like to do the same . I will be keeping the videos coming as quickly as we can produce them. Let me know how the lemon potatoes were.
Hi Chef Christine, it's Bob Petrowski once more, writing to you from Lima, Peru. I just made your dad's recipe you showed on Moussaka. WOW, fantastic, and better yet on the 2nd day with the leftover that went so fast. The last time I had this dish was 2 years ago in Athen, Greece when the waitress told us, it had just finished in the oven and ready for serving. What a hit that was, as was your fantastic recipe. This is one of those meals, for some reason you can't get enough of. I am looking forward to making for our relatives here in Peru, they heard of it, but never had it, now they will.:) Thanks again, Christine.
It makes me so happy to hear about your great experiences with Moussaka. I fee exactly the same way . We can never get enough of it. I know your relatives will also love it. Be well and see you in the kitchen.
Ok then, will do. Thx for posting
Great recipe, baked veggies definitely much healthier AND tastier than fried, I am cooking it for dinner tonight, thank you from Italy
Bravo ! Grazie
This meat sauce is awesome, thank you. I made a low carb version of moussaka yesterday using this sauce. (I reduced carbs by eliminating the potatoes and replacing the bechamel with 500 g mascarpone, 250 g sour cream and 5 eggs). For convenience, browned the vegetables in a 450° oven. And I added a splash of red wine to the sauce.
Thank you for sharing your take on my take on my Dad's moussaka !
I am drooling! Thank you for this recipe 😊
My pleasure. It’s a killer for sure
I'll be trying this very soon!
OK, now I am starving. Lol. I’m going to have to make this one day. I absolutely love moussaka.
YASOO Christine!!. From one fellow Greco and restauranteur to another I thank you for sharing your recipes. We are in red phase here in New Brunswick (so, no dine-in). I recently made Mousaka for our take-out special and it was a huge hit!! I am very critical of my own cooking, but I have to say I nailed it! With your help. I did add some fresh mint and a touch of cumin too. Your videos have helped reignite my passion for cooking at a time when I almost forgot what it's all about. Thank you Christine!
I really want to try this receipt thanks for your sharing hello from Indonesia
Thank you v Rey much for these Greek foods Kristina. And thank you for the bouzouki music in the background. Efgaristo polli LOL Rosa
Looks Amazing can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing
I have made this recipe and it is indeed amazing. I have been properly browning meat (not “greying”) for several years now. I discovered it by accident and wonder why more people don’t do it.
thank you that's so great. I know. The meat needs to get to that caramelized stage for those optimal flavours or the " maillard" reaction to take place. Anyway, I'm so glad you are adopting this method now too.
Love it!
Thank you
I just love moussaka!❤️
OMG where have you been all my life? Your videos are so informative. You inspired me to order Greek oregano on the stems... I'm making this moussaka recipe tomorrow. Thanks!
Looking forward to trying this
I think you will love it 👏👏
thank you. In the military I was stationed on the Island of Crete and I really loved this dish...I am gonna try to make it tonight!
If one is going to be in the military and they get stationed in Crete, they hit the jackpot!
Looks amazing
OMG, that looks amazing! I can almost smell the aroma :)
Thank you for your comment, I'm sorry I thought I had sent you a reply. The aroma is indeed crazy !
Lovely recipe thank you
Razia Khalifa my pleasure. Thank you for watching
Bravo 😍
Euxaristo !
This looks like a bit of a production but I LOVE MOUSSAKA so I'm definitely making a note of this. Looks amazing!
It is definitely a bit of a production but definitely worth it! Thanks for watching
Sammy! my man!!
Looks amazing!
P.J. Stevens it is sooo delicious.! Thank you
This looks outstanding! It’s midnight here, and if I had a food to make it, I would do it all night. A mistake I see, is the eight pieces I was thinking more like four pieces it looks so great. I really think what you’re doing for all of us it really makes a big difference in my life that someone is nice like you Can help us to forget what’s outside of us. God bless
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and so glad you have been enjoying my videos. Hope you are keeping well
absolutely amazing!!! You're spot on about the kitchen tornado I'm officially on my third round of dishwashing, but so worth it.
Sasha Ashall oh 3 rounds sounds about right. So glad you agree with me. Be well
Thank you so much for posting this recipe and sharing your oven-baking secrets. The local grocery has stopped carrying my olive oil of choice, so it would have been a while before I'd be able to make this, otherwise.The Japanese eggplants (Ichiban, if memory serves me correctly,) are fantastic, and offer the moussaka a delicious, smokey flavor. Yum! Everyone should make this!
witchapparatus thank you for your great feedback ! It is truly a favourite in our house
Wow that looks great, and I love the way you present it! Trying this tonight. (You're right about the browned meat - works for other sauces as well.)
rb02909 Amazing ! Let me know how you love it. Thank you and stay well
Its soo gorgeous and yummy looking I'm going to try this for my picky eaters 😅 wish me luck.
Good luck ! It is a winner 👏👏👏
Thank you for sharing this! You have helped me improve my own recipe!
My Pleasure. I hope you enjoy
Thanks Christine x
Yummy thanks for your help we all devoured it😚
Amazing!
Worked at a Greek restaurant when I was 18. Moussaka is my favorite!