Family Moussaka Bake

Turkish-style moussaka bake with fried or roasted eggplant topped with a savoury minced beef and tomato sauce.

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Turkish musakka differs from the layered Greek version: eggplant and meat sauce are the focus, without a thick béchamel topping. This oven-baked method keeps the structure simple.

Ingredients

• 3 eggplants (cut into 1.5 cm rounds)
• 5 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1.5 tsp fine salt (divided)
• 500 g beef mince
• 1 onion (finely diced)
• 1 green pepper (diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tomatoes (diced)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 200 ml hot water
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan. Brush the eggplant rounds with 3 tablespoons olive oil, season lightly and roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and green pepper for 5–6 minutes.
3. Add the beef mince and cook over medium-high heat until browned, breaking it into small pieces.
4. Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, black pepper and remaining salt and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the diced tomatoes and hot water and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the sauce is thick but still moist.
6. Arrange the roasted eggplant in a baking dish, slightly overlapping the pieces.
7. Spoon the meat sauce evenly over the eggplant and bake at 200°C conventional or 180°C fan for 20 minutes.
8. Rest for 10 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve with rice, bulgur or yogurt.