Moussaka d’Aubergines: A Layered History, Cooked the Provençal Way

In the long history of Mediterranean cooking, few dishes carry as much history or as many revisions as moussaka d’aubergines. Though it is most closely associated with Greece today, its roots reach further east, into the Arab world. The name comes from the Arabic musaqqā‘a, meaning “moistened,” and originally referred to a dish of eggplant gently cooked with tomato and olive oil, often served at room temperature. That early version, still found across the Levant, was straightforward, spiced, and deeply satisfying.

As the dish travelled through the Ottoman Empire, it changed with each border crossed. In parts of Anatolia and the Balkans, meat was added, and the preparation shifted toward baking. The version most people recognize today, layers of roasted eggplant, spiced meat, and béchamel, arrived surprisingly late. In the early twentieth century, Greek chef Nikolaos Tselementés, trained in French technique, reworked moussaka as part of his effort to modernize Greek cooking, introducing béchamel and a more structured, almost architectural approach.

Provencal moussaka d’aubergines

In Provence, dishes rarely arrive by proclamation. They drift in, settle at the edge of the table, and over time become part of how people cook. Moussaka is one of those travellers. While its roots lie further east, it has found a comfortable life in the southern French kitchen, where eggplant, lamb, tomatoes, and olive oil are not specialties but daily companions. Here it is often called moussaka d’aubergines, a name that signals both familiarity and adjustment. The béchamel is lighter, the cheese restrained, often Comté or Gruyère, used with discretion rather than bravado. The focus is balance, not indulgence for its own sake. What emerges feels neither borrowed nor precious, but practical, confident, and unmistakably Provençal in temperament.

It is also a dish that understands winter. Not the dramatic kind, but the season when evenings arrive early, and the house asks for warmth. Moussaka is obliging in this way. The preparation is simple, almost reassuring, and once the dish slides into the oven, time slows. You welcome the hour of steady heat. The scent of tomato, spice, and lamb moves from room to room, doing its quiet work. When it finally comes to the table, the eggplant is silky, the spices gentle, and the top is just golden enough to promise comfort without excess. Served with a green salad and a glass of wine, it turns an ordinary night into something generous, the sort of meal that warms more than the body and lingers well after the plates are cleared.

What Wine Pairs Well with this Recipe?

Please see the recipe notes below. A good wine-pairing rule is to choose something that is “local” to the recipe and its ingredients. a blend, ideally from the Southern Rhône, that matches the moussaka’s rich depth. Reds from Gigondas and other Côtes du Rhône Villages or a Bandol, red wine. However, if you are more inclined to drink, then consider a white Rhône blend with Marsanne and Roussanne.

Moussaka d’Aubergines

Chef François de Mélogue

Served with a green salad and a glass of wine, this dish turns an ordinary night into something special. It's a meal that warms more than the body and lingers well after the plates are cleared.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Lunch Dish, Main Course

Cuisine French, Greek, Mediterranean, Provencal

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• chefs knife (8-inch)
• cutting board set, bamboo
• baking sheet, rimmed, non-stick 10x15
• silicone baking mat set
• silicone pastry/basting brush
• Dutch oven (9-quart)
• medium wooden mixing spoon
• saucepan with lid (4-quart)
• baking dish, ceramic (9x13-inch rectangular)

Ingredients

  

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For the eggplants:

• 2 lbs eggplants (aubergine) large, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp herbes de Provence

For the lamb:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 10 oz sweet onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 tbsp thyme and rosemary fresh, chopped
• 14 oz crushed tomatoes canned, or 2 cups tomato purée
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette
• 2 tsp herbes de Provence
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

For the enriched Mornay sauce:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk whole
• 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese or Comté cheese, grated

For the final assembly:

• 2 lbs potatoes peeled, sliced, and boiled until just tender
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

For the eggplants:

• Lay the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

For the lamb:

• In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground lamb and brown thoroughly, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Drain excess fat if needed.
• Add the thyme and rosemary and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, piment d’Espelette, herbes de Provence, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until thickened and fragrant. Stir in the parsley, discard the bay leaf, and set aside.

For the Mornay sauce:

• In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes without browning. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
• Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks, then stir in the Gruyère cheese.
• Lower the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).

For the final assembly:

• Rub a 9 × 13-inch baking dish lightly with olive oil. Layer the potatoes evenly across the bottom, followed by half of the roasted eggplant, all of the meat sauce, the remaining eggplant, and the Mornay. Smooth the top, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbling. Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing. This improves both texture and flavour.

Notes

Wine Pairing with Moussaka d’Aubergines

To complement moussaka’s richness and spice, reach for a Grenache–Syrah blend from the Southern Rhône, such as Gigondas or a well-structured Côtes du Rhône Villages. These wines bring peppery depth and dark berry notes that echo the dish’s warmth. A red Bandol, built on Mourvèdre, is another natural match, offering structure and savoury depth that stands up to the lamb and spice.

If you prefer white, a white Rhône blend built on Marsanne and Roussanne, with its nutty, full-bodied character, can stand up to the béchamel and lamb.

Keyword Aubergine, Eggplant, Lamb

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Chef François de Mélogue

François de Mélogue grew up in a very French household in Chicago. His earliest attempts at cookery began with the filleting of his sister’s goldfish at age two and a braised rabbit dish made with his pet rabbits by age seven. He eventually stopped cooking his pets and went to the highly esteemed New England Culinary Institute, where he graduated top of his class in 1985. Over the next three decades he cooked in a number of highly acclaimed kitchens across the country, including Chef Louis Szathmáry’s The Bakery in Chicago, Old Drovers Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property in New York, and Joël Robuchon’s restaurant Gastronomie in Paris, before opening Pili Pili, his wood-fired Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago. In 2003, Food & Wine named Pili Pili one of the ten best new restaurants in the world.

Today, François lives in St Albans, Vermont, with his wife Lisa and their son Beau, the self-proclaimed family saucier. At heart, he is a storyteller who works in two mediums, food and light. In the kitchen, his stories unfold in slowly simmered daubes and simple, thoughtfully crafted dishes that express their seasonality in every bite. With a camera, they become quiet images of food, honest products, and the rural landscapes of Vermont and Provence. He is the author of French Cooking for Beginners: 75+ Classic Recipes to Cook Like a Parisian, a book that wanders well beyond Paris into the markets and kitchens of France. You can explore his photographic work at https://www.francoisdemelogue.com/ and follow his Provençal-flavored writings on Medium in his column Pistou and Pastis.