Description
Greek Stuffed Eggplant, or Melitzanes Papoutsakia, is a classic Mediterranean dish featuring eggplants filled with a savory meat sauce, topped with a creamy béchamel, and baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
For the eggplants:
- 1 kg (4 large) eggplants
- Olive oil, for brushing
For the ground meat sauce:
- 450 g (1 lb) ground meat, half pork, half lean beef
- 100 g (1 small) onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200 g (1 cup) canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- A splash of red wine
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- ⅔ tsp ground allspice
- ⅓ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
For the béchamel cream:
- 500 ml lukewarm milk
- 40 g (3 tbsp) butter
- 40 g (4 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 60 g (2 oz) Gruyere or Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out some flesh to create a cavity. Brush with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes until tender.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until fragrant. Add ground meat and cook until browned.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Remove bay leaf.
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form a roux. Gradually add lukewarm milk, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, Greek yogurt, grated cheese, and egg. Mix until creamy.
- Fill roasted eggplant halves with the meat sauce. Pour béchamel cream over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Garnish with additional parsley before serving.
Notes
- Use a mix of pork and beef for richer flavor; lamb can also be used.
- Ensure eggplants are tender before filling to avoid a tough texture.
- Béchamel can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
- Serve with a side salad or crusty bread for a complete meal.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed eggplant half
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 120mg