Easy Greek stuffed eggplant (papoutsakia or ‘little shoes’!)

This one’s for fans of moussaka! Papoutsakia, which means ‘little shoes’, are cute eggplant halves stuffed with a delicious meat sauce and topped with bechamel sauce. They taste just like moussaka, but they’re heavier on the eggplant, and easier to make!

Greek food at its cutest!

When I lived in Greece, I would never miss the chance to order either moussaka. Or… these stuffed eggplant, also called papoutsakia!

Now here’s the cute part. Papoutsakia (pap-out-sak-ia) means ‘little shoes’. I suppose they are shaped a bit like shoes. Have you heard a cuter name for a dish?

So here’s why you should give them a go:

• They’re super cute and fun and will impress everyone you make them for. You’ll feel like a Greek god or goddess when all the compliments roll in 😉
• They’re like a slightly easier but just-as-delicious version of moussaka. It’s quicker to prepare the eggplant and there’s only one layer of each component – eggplant/aubergine, meat filling, and bechamel sauce.
• They’re a great meal to make for guests. You can make the three components ahead (even the day before) and pop the stuffed eggplant in the oven just before eating.

What ingredients you need

To keep this recipe as easy as possible, I use almost the same recipe as I use to make my easy moussaka.

Here are the 3 components of this delicious Greek dish:

1. Eggplant/aubergine. I use 4, each sliced in half.
2. A simple meat filling made out of ground beef/beef mince and lots of yummy Greek flavours – cinnamon (trust me, it tastes great), oregano, red wine, garlic, onion, tomato paste, and fresh parsley if you like.
3. A traditional Greek bechamel sauce. You make this exactly like you’d make a bechamel sauce for a lasagna – with melted butter, flour, milk, and parmesan cheese -or the yummy hard Greek cheese called kefalotiri if you can find it. The only difference is that you add 2 whisked egg yolks into it so that it puffs up a bit during cooking – a bit like a souffle.

How to make them

Step 1: Prepare the eggplant! First slice them in half lengthwise. Then score around the edge, leaving about a 1cm border. Score deeply but without cutting into the skin on the bottom.

Score in a criss-cross pattern then brush all over with a bit of olive oil. There are some photos below if you’d like to ‘see’ how I do this. Or you can watch the video!

Step 2: Bake the eggplant and make the bolognese sauce. While they’re baking, make the delicious meat sauce on the stove top. It’s pretty easy and only takes about 30 minutes.

Start by softening the onions, then add the herbs and spices, meat, and finally the mixture of tomato paste and wine and water.

Simmer until fairly dry. At the end you can add some fresh parsley if you like.

Just like this:

Step 3: Make the Greek bechamel sauce. Melt butter and add flour. Cook for a minute or two. Slowly add milk and stir and heat until the sauce thickens. Add cheese and a bit of nutmeg.

Let cool, then whisk 2 eggs yolks in. Set aside to cool a little!

Note: The photos above don’t show me adding the egg yolks. Just let the sauce cool a little (so that they don’t turn into scrambled eggs), then whisk them in quickly.

Pro tip: Let the bechamel cool down a bit before you spread it on top of the stuffed aubergines. It’ll thicken a bit more which means it won’t all slide off into the dish.

How to assemble papoutsakia

Putting the dish together is very easy – and kind of fun.

Before you start, remember it doesn’t have to look perfect. Some of the meat sauce and bechamel will probably fall off into the baking dish, but that’s perfectly OK.

So here’s what you do:

• Squash down the middle part of the eggplant with the back of a metal spoon. They should be nice and squishy now. This will make some space for the filling.
• Fill each eggplant half with some of the meat filling. Don’t be shy!
• Spoon some of the cooled bechamel sauce over the top. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese if you like.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until nice and browned on top. Sprinkle with some fresh parsley to serve.

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven. Mmmm!

How to serve

I usually serve this meal exactly like I would moussaka – with a big Greek salad, tzatziki (or just plain Greek yoghurt), and toasted bread with olive oil and salt.

It’s a perfect mini Greek feast, suitable to make for a family meal, or to impress guests.

Preparing ahead and freezing

The best part about making this for guests (or even for a family meal) is that you can prepare it ahead.

You can fully assemble the dish, and then just cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge.

Take it out of the fridge half an hour or so before you want to bake it to take the chill off. Then bake as normal.

You can even freeze it once it’s assembled! Just make sure it’s wrapped really well with plastic wrap and/or aluminium foil. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge, then bake as normal.

Cooked leftovers freeze well too! Just let defrost then reheat for about 20 to 30 minutes at 160C/320/F or until well warmed through.

Pro tip: I find that there’s sometimes some meat sauce and bechamel sauce left over after you’ve assembled your 8 eggplant halves (depending on the size of the eggplant you use!). You can freeze these too and make a smaller amount of stuffed eggplant another time!

Make the recipe your own

• The most traditional way to make papoutsakia is with eggplant/aubergine. BUT you can also make them with zucchini/courgette, big tomatoes, or even peppers. I once made this recipe with big ball-shaped zucchini. Mr. Scrummy said they looked like a volcano with a bit of the meat sauce running down the side!
• There’s also no reason why you can’t use chicken or turkey or pork mince instead of beef.
• Or skip the meat and make a vegetarian version out of mushrooms, cubed sweet potato and maybe even black beans.
• Make this recipe even easier by skipping the bechamel altogether. Instead, just serve with a good sprinkle of feta cheese and a big blog of Greek yoghurt. Your papoutsakia will still be super delicious served this way!

So next time you think you’re in the mood for a Greek moussaka, why not make these ‘little shoes’ instead? You’ll impress everyone you make them for, including yourself 😉

If you love eggplant, you have to try this popular Greek baked eggplant with tomato and feta, too. It’s absolutely delicious either served by itself or with some simple meatballs!

More scrumptious Greek main meals

• Greek oven baked fish (your new favourite way to cook fish!)
• This Baked Greek chicken and potatoes has come to my rescue time after time. It’s so easy – not to mention delicious served with a big Greek salad.
• I love this vegetarian option – a One pan Greek couscous with halloumi.
• This Greek lamb with lemony garlic potatoes is highly recommended if you’re looking to impress!
• This Greek stuffed peppers and tomatoes are pretty epic. You have to try them to find out why!
• This baked Greek chicken orzo is a tasty one pot everyday meal.

Or if you’re just enjoying the whole Greek food vibe in this post, you might like to check out my Greek recipes archives!

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