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Moussaka layers in a pan.

EASY Serbian Ground Beef Potato Moussaka

Aida
Moussaka is a casserole-type dish made by layering potato rounds and ground beef, which are then baked together and finished off with an egg, milk, and sour cream topping.
4.95 from 18 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Kosovo, Macedonian, Montenegro, Serbian, Slovenian
Servings 6
Calories 566 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Meat layer:

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 yellow onion medium, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pound ground beef pork, veal and turkey also work
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Potato layer: 

  • 2 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into ⅓-inch rounds
  • 2-4 tablespoons oil or vegetable or coconut
  • Salt to taste

Topping:

  • 3 eggs
  • 14 ounces sour cream
  • 3 ounces milk
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a deep pan over medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent occasionally stirring. 
  • Add ground beef and seasonings. Frequently stirring brown the meat lightly. Remove from heat. 
  • Heat oven to 450°f/ 230°c.  In a larger bowl mix potatoes, oil and salt. Mix well with your hands until all potatoes are covered.
  • Evenly layer roughly ⅓ of potato rounds into an 8x8 inch pan covering the bottom of the pan. Top potatoes with roughly ½ of the meat filling and spread evenly. Repeat. Top it off with one more layer of potatoes. (In total you’ll have 3 potato layers and two meat layers in between.) Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes. 
  • In a large bowl, whisk topping ingredients until integrated.
  • Take the pan out of the oven and pour the topping evenly over moussaka.
  • Return moussaka to the oven for additional 20 minutes or until the top gets a golden color.
  • Rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. 

Video

Notes

Adjust the oil level to your liking. If your beef is on the greasier side you don't have to coat the potatoes. 
Notes for step 4: Moussaka is a forgiving dish, you don't have to follow the recipe too closely. Layers are only an approximation. Moussaka will turn out fine if you have 4 layers of potatoes and 3 of meat. However, 3 layers of potatoes and 2 of meat is the minimum. 
Notes for step 5: If at any time moussaka starts to blush too much, cover with foil. You may have to add a few more minutes to the baking. 
Nutrition information is a rough estimate. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6Sodium: 143mgSugar: 3.6gFiber: 4.2gCholesterol: 207mgCalories: 566kcalSaturated Fat: 13.3gFat: 35.6gProtein: 32.1gCarbohydrates: 29.8g
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