There are several versions of Musaka (or Moussaka) from Egypt, Greece, and many areas in the Middle East. I started with the traditional Bosnian version, which is simple with few ingredients. I then added pork belly and spices for a bolder flavor, bringing it closer to the version my husband’s mother made when he was a kid. And then I added more veggies for vitamins and fiber.
I prefer to cook as much as possible all at once, so I made two batches. My photos show 4x as much meat as the recipe calls for, and 2x of everything else. Having two casserole dishes in the oven at the same time increases the cooking time. I baked them covered for 40 minutes, then removed the lids and baked another 40 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 1lb Ground Pork
- 1 White or Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 2-3 Eggs, Beaten
- 1 Bell Pepper, Chopped*
- 1-2 Carrots, Shredded*
- 1/2 Cup Frozen Spinach*
- 2-3 Raw Potatoes, Cleaned & Sliced
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 Cup Cream
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Clove Garlic, Minced*
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes*
- 1 Pinch Cinnamon*
- 1 Pinch Cloves*
- Optional: 1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine*
- Optional: Pork Belly*
Items marked with a star (*) are not part of the traditional recipe.
NOTE: Do NOT use Canned or Frozen Potatoes! They’re already saturated with water so they won’t soak up any of the sauce!
DIRECTIONS
- Optional: If using pork belly, saute it in butter and olive oil until brown. Transfer to a large bowl with slotted spoon.
- Saute ground pork, onions, and garlic in butter and olive oil (or fat from optional step 1) until onions are translucent and meat is cooked through, then transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Optional: For bolder flavor, add 1/2 cup of dry red wine to the meat & onions as you’re cooking. Cook until liquid reduces by at least half.
- Briefly toss the carrots, peppers, and spinach in the hot oil left over from cooking the meat. Especially useful due to the frozen spinach, this brings the veggies up to temperature for faster cooking in the oven. Transfer to the mixing bowl and combine with meat & onions.
- Grease a baking dish (I use olive oil) & place a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom. Overlap to form a scallopped pattern, covering all spaces.
- Add a layer of the meat and veggie mixture on top of the potatoes.
- In a bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, cream, and remaining spices. Mix well, then pour into baking dish. Poke and/or shake the dish to ensure the liquid seeps down into all the cracks. It shouldn’t quite cover the top layer.
- Add another layer of sliced potatoes to the top of the mixture. Brush the top with melted butter.
- Cover and bake at 400*F for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15-20 mins to crisp up the top layer of potatoes if desired.
- Wait until it has stopped bubbling to cut into it and serve.