Make It Today, Bake It Tomorrow: Eggplant Moussaka

Whenever I decide to have guests for dinner, I find myself making the same mistakes over and over again. I underestimate my menu and the time given to have everything ready before the guests’ arrival, and I try cooking too many complex dishes on the same day. Meanwhile, my toddler is running between my legs, my hair is a mess, and the dishes are piling up on my countertop.

I’m learning to manage my time better and plan for everything a few days in advance so that I can enjoy the evening and my guests and not run back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. Appetizers or dessert can always be purchased, and salad can be made earlier in the day with the dressing not added until ready to serve. The main dish, if possible, can be assembled or even cooked a day before.

That's where moussaka comes in. This beloved Greek casserole is a great example of how a dish can be made days in advance and still be the talk of the party. Moussaka can be assembled several days in advance and baked just before serving or frozen for up to a month and baked straight from freezer to oven — just add an extra 20-25 minutes to the baking time. It’s the perfect entrée for entertaining or for a potluck gathering.

The long and different steps for making moussaka can be intimidating, but it’s worth it, and they're doable even for those who’ve never made the dish before.

Basically, you bake the slices of eggplant, cook the ground meat (beef or lamb) in a tomato sauce, then finally cook the béchamel sauce (cream sauce). Next, you bring the three ingredients together by layering them in a baking dish, then cover the whole thing with the creamy béchamel sauce.

The dish is the definition of comfort and excellence at the same time. Everybody will love it, and no one will have to know that you actually assembled the whole thing way ahead. Kalí óreksi! (Bon appétit! in Greek.)

Eggplant Moussaka

Serves 4

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 lb.), unpeeled, cut into ¼ inch slices
• Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing the eggplant
• Black pepper

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lb. ground lamb or beef
• ¾ cup chopped tomatoes, drained (or canned tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ c. vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ tsp. fresh oregano
• ¼ tsp. fresh thyme
• ½ tsp. sugar
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

For cream sauce (béchamel sauce)

• 1½ Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/8 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. milk
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Grated cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Start by sprinkling the eggplant slices with salt and let them sit in a colander to drain for one hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Using one tablespoon of the olive oil, generously oil one baking sheet.

Rinse the eggplant and pat dry with the paper towels. Place the eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheets and brush with oil. Season with pepper and bake, turning occasionally, until the eggplant is golden brown and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stack on a plate. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the meat and cook over high heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, herbs, sugar, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

For the cream sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let the mixture simmer slowly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the nutmeg, one tablespoon of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble: Oil a 6x9-inch baking dish and place a layer of one third of the eggplant in the bottom. Top the eggplant with half of the meat sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and the remainder of the meat sauce. Top with the remaining eggplant. Stir the egg into the cream sauce and spread the sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake until the moussaka bubbles around the edges, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Local shopping spots

in West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills is having a sale this week on ground sirloin ($3.19 per pound) and on Full Circle or Hunt's tomato paste (10 6-ounce cans for $10).

in Birmingham has a sale on Roma tomatoes (79 cents per pound).

in Birmingham and West Bloomfield is having a sale on Cabot Cheddar cheese and Jarlsberg Swiss cheese, both $6.99 per pound. Vine tomatoes cost 99 cents per pound.

is having a contest to win free milk for a year. Visit winwithkroger.com to sign up — you must have a Kroger Plus Card to qualify. For those who want to try this recipe with soy milk, Kroger is having a sale for half gallons of Silk Soymilk, Purealmond or Purecoconut at $2.89. For those who prefer regular milk, Kroger is selling that at $2.49 per gallon.

Kroger has  a sale on onion and tomato savers — plastic devices that help keep vegetables fresh in the fridge after they are cut. The savers cost $2.99 each.

offers printable coupons online for $1 off So Delicious coconut milk and $1 off any one Organic Valley 8-ounce cheese product.