Moussaka Rolls Recipe

I love Greek food! I’ve been to Greece about 5 times (although not for a few years – which I need to rectify!) For me the food is one of the top reasons I return. That and beautiful weather, amazing beaches, interesting history… Moussaka is a great traditional Greek dish made with minced lamb, aubergine and a rich tomato sauce. Yum! It’s almost like the Greek version of Lasagna – with the aubergine replacing the pasta sheets. These Moussaka Rolls are a delicious spin on the original!

This version has an added bonus of being fairly low in carbs as it omits the potatoes that some recipes use. If you leave out the breadcrumbs used to top the dish then this is actually a great keto recipe (perhaps use some stock instead of the wine too, and maybe a keto-friendly flour).

Moussaka Rolls

I decided to make these with a small difference – and do Moussaka rolls instead of the usual casserole dish method. It works really well. The first time I made this I whipped up a standard bechamel sauce which wasn’t so good for pouring. Instead this recipe uses a thinner adaption which pours easily over the rolls and adds a rich cheesy element to the dish.

Can you make Moussaka in advance?

You can easily make this in advance – simply cook everything and before assembling, store the sauce, meat mixture and aubergines separately in the fridge. Assemble and bake when you are ready to eat.

Aubergine Moussaka Roll

Can you freeze Moussaka Rolls?

You can also freeze the meat mixture and the bechamel. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the aubergines however, as they can become a little slushy. Still, this is perfect for making in advance for meal prep as the aubergines take mere minutes to make and you will have done 80% of the work in advance.

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Moussaka Rolls Recipe

Moussaka Rolls


  • Author: caroline
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x

Description

Moussaka Rolls – juicy lamb cooked in a sauce of tomato, oregano and red wine and rolled in grilled aubergine. Topped with a creamy white parmesan sauce. This is a fantastic comforting tasty meal!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 medium aubergine
  • 40g onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 125g lamb mince
  • 50ml red wine
  • 100g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp plain flour
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • Bechamel Sauce
  • 5g butter
  • 5g flour
  • 100ml milk
  • 5g grated parmesan
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Instructions

  • Slice the aubergine lengthwise into around 5mm pieces – I used a mandolin set to 6mm thickness. Place the aubergine into a colander and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Leave for 30 minutes. You will need 3-4 slices per portion for the rolls.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Next make the meat filling. Heat a large frying pan or skillet over a medium high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil or a few sprays of light cooking spray. Sweat the onion for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the lamb mince to the pan and cook until browned, stirring regularly – around 5 minutes. Then add the red wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, flour, oregano, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and reduce the heat so the pan is gently simmering. Cook for 30 minutes – the mixture should have thickened nicely by the end.
  • Remove the aubergine from the colander and rinse. Then pat dry well with paper towels and leave them spread out over some paper towels while you make the bechamel.
  • To make the bechamel sauce. Add the butter to a saucepan over a medium low heat. Melt and add the flour. Combine well. Add the milk slowly to the mixture and whisk until it creates a smooth sauce. Cook for around 3-4 minutes so the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan and nutmeg. 
  • Lightly brush the aubergine with olive oil, or spray with some light cooking spray. Heat a griddle pan over a medium high heat and add the aubergine and cook for around 2 minutes each side. Alternatively you can use a frying pan if you don’t have a griddle pan (but the griddle pan leaves those beautiful grill lines which are so worth it!)
  • Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick from the lamb. Spoon a thin strip of bechamel on each piece of aubergine, width ways, followed by a little of the lamb mixture into the center of each aubergine slice and carefully roll. Place them on a lined baking tray. Spoon the remaining bechamel sauce over the top of the rolls and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Place in the bottom half of the oven for 20-30 minutes.
  • Serve with a crisp green salad – delicious!
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Greek

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 575
  • Fat: 31g
  • Carbohydrates: 22g
  • Protein: 6g

Keywords: mousakka, greek food, greek recipe, lamb

3 Thoughts on “Moussaka Rolls”

  • I have eaten a Moussaka in a Greek restaurant once in the Philippines, and it absolutely taste good. It kinda remind me of lasagna except this is an eggplant dish. I will definitely try this at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    • Thank you so much Saif! Yes! It’s absolutely a Greek ‘lasagna’. Would love to hear how it turns out when you try it

      You have some great recipes on your blog too! Looking forward to seeing more of them!

  • This was pretty tasty with a nice tangy kick, complemented by the cinnamon. I doubled the recipe so that I could save leftovers for lunch today. Usually, anything rolled-up ends up a mess for me in the prep stage. Everything tasted great. I wasn’t able to pouring the extra sauce over the rolls at the end because béchamel sauce turned out a little gooey (think I might’ve done something wrong there).

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