Bulgarian Moussaka Recipe

Bulgarian Moussaka Recipe – A delicious traditional Mediterranean dish made with potatoes, vegetables, and ground beef. 

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Since my mom and grandmother were visiting us last month, we cooked a lot of traditional Bulgarian meals. And today, I am sharing with you one of my all-time favorite Bulgarian meals – Moussaka. This is a traditional moussaka recipe made with potatoes, ground beef and vegetables like carrot, red bell pepper, celery, tomato, onion, and garlic. It’s absolutely delicious and I bet you will ask for seconds.

It can be time-consuming to make moussaka but I love that it’s a great meal for large crowds –  it’s enough to feed 10 people. Considering that you cook for about 10 people, spending an hour in the kitchen prepping and cooking is really not that bad. It’s actually a pretty quick meal. I have made several moussakas and I finally was able to make one that takes only about 1 hour to make. I think this is the quickest moussaka recipe I have ever cooked.  One trick that I have come up with is to sautée the vegetables and ground beef before they go in the oven. It’s a timesaver, and it lets the flavors combine nicely. This moussaka recipe is a perfect comfort food.

I don’t think moussaka is a very popular meal in the States but it certainly has become more popular in Europe over the last decade. I love that the ingredients are super simple, everyday pantry staples, and there are no complicated techniques to cook this meal. This quick and simple moussaka recipe is also healthy – I used only vegetables, ground beef, eggs, yogurt, and spices.

For Paleo version – substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes, and milk with almond milk. Also, omit the shredded cheese.

I hope you give this moussaka recipe a try and hope you enjoy it!

How To Make Moussaka

What you need

1 lb ground beef

2 lbs potatoes

1 medium onions

1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium tomato

olive oil

2 tsp paprika

salt & ground black pepper, to taste

summer savory, to taste (Bulgarian spice: chubritsa) /If you don’t it, use Mediterranean seasoning/

ground cumin, to taste

Topping

1 cup yogurt

1/4 cup milk

4 egg yolks & 4 egg whites

4 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup cheese

Preparation

Heat oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and saute until lightly translucent (about 2 minutes). Add chopped carrots, celery and red bell pepper, season with salt and saute until vegetables are tender (about 3 minutes). Add finely chopped tomato to the skillet and minced garlic, and cook for few minutes until it looks like sauce. Season with freshly ground pepper, paprika, and summer savory, and stir well. (Picture doesn’t show the celery and chopped tomato.)

Transfer vegetables to a plate. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook for about 6 minutes until brown. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, summer savory & cumin. Break it up into small pieces with wooden spoon. Mix vegetables and ground beef together. Transfer to a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.

In the same large skillet heat oil and add HALF of the chopped potatoes (cook them in batches as you want them to cook evenly). Season with salt, paprika, freshly ground black pepper and summer savory. Let potatoes cook covered for about 10 minutes until slightly tender (they will cook more in the oven later) and stir every couple minutes. When the potatoes are done, add them to the beef and vegetable mixture in the 9 x 13 baking dish. Repeat with the second batch of potatoes.

Pour 1 1/2 cups water over the moussaka. (The water should not cover the potatoes, the water line should be just below them.)

Place in a preheated 400 F oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and the potatoes are tender.

Topping

About 10 minutes before moussaka is ready, prepare the topping. Beat 4 egg whites with a mixer until fluffy. In a separate bowl beat 4 egg yolks with a mixer and add 4 Tbsp water. in another small bowl, combine 1 cup yogurt with 1/4 cup milk, and add 1/2 tsp baking soda, gently fold in egg yolks and egg whites. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread over baked moussaka, top with freshly shredded cheese and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes. Let moussaka cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

5 from 5 votes

Moussaka

By: Neli Howard

CaloriesCals: 406

Protein:Protein: 35.1

Carbs:Carbs: 33.5

Fat:Fat: 14.2

Bulgarian Simple Moussaka Recipe – A Delicious traditional Mediterranean dish made with potatoes, vegetables & ground beef. One pan meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

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Ingredients  

0.5x1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 2 lbs potatoes
• ▢ 1 medium onions
• ▢ 1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 medium tomato
• ▢ extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoon summer savory, bulgarian spice: chubritsa /If you don’t have it, use mediterranean seasoning/
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Topping

• ▢ 1 cup yogurt
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ 4 egg yolks & 4 egg whites
• ▢ 4 Tablespoon water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ pinch of salt
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup cheese

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Heat oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and saute until lightly translucent (about 2 minutes). Add chopped carrots, celery and red bell pepper, season with salt and saute until vegetables are tender (about 3 minutes). Add finely chopped tomato to the skillet and minced garlic, and cook for few minutes until it looks like sauce. Season with freshly ground pepper, paprika, and summer savory, and stir well.
• Transfer vegetables to a plate. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook for about 6 minutes until brown. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, summer savory & cumin. Break it up into small pieces with wooden spoon. Mix vegetables and ground beef together. Transfer to a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
• In the same large skillet heat oil and add HALF of the chopped potatoes (cook them in batches as you want them to cook evenly). Season with salt, paprika, freshly ground black pepper and summer savory. Let potatoes cook covered for about 10 minutes until slightly tender (they will cook more in the oven later) and stir every couple minutes. When the potatoes are done, add them to the beef and vegetable mixture in the 9 x 13 baking dish. Repeat with the second batch of potatoes.
• Pour 2 cups water over the moussaka. (The water should not cover the potatoes, the water line should be just below them.)
• Place in a preheated 400 F oven and bake for about 50 minutes.

Topping

• About 10 minutes before moussaka is ready, prepare the topping. Beat 4 egg whites with a mixer until fluffy. In a separate bowl beat 4 egg yolks with a mixer and add 4 Tbsp water. in another small bowl, combine 1 cup yogurt with 1/4 cup milk, and add 1/2 tsp baking soda, gently fold in egg yolks and egg whites. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread over baked moussaka, top with freshly shredded cheese and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes. Let moussaka cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 403g | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.5g | Protein: 35.1g | Fat: 14.2g | Saturated Fat: 5.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.6g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 1182mg | Fiber: 5.6g | Sugar: 8g

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