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!
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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:
- Eggplant/aubergine. I use 4, each sliced in half.
- 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.
- 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 yummy Greek 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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Easy Greek Stuffed Eggplant (Papoutsakia Or ‘Little Shoes’!)
Equipment (affiliate links)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
For the eggplant/aubergine
- 4 eggplant medium (UK/Australia aubergine)
- olive oil for brushing the eggplant
For the Greek bolognese sauce
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed or chopped
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pound ground beef or lamb or chicken/turkey (ground beef = minced beef in UK/Australia)
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree / paste mixed with about ½ cup/125ml water
- ⅔ cup red wine
- salt and pepper
- 1 bunch fresh parsley chopped
For the béchamel sauce
- 2 ounces butter
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 cups milk warmed slightly in the microwave or in a pan
- 2½ ounces parmesan cheese or Italian pecorino / Greek kefalotiri if you can find it!
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 egg yolks lightly whisked (you can also use the whole eggs if you like)
Instructions
Eggplant/Aubergine
- Pre-heat the oven to 355F/180C. Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise. On the cut side, score around the edge of each, leaving around a 1cm border. Then on the inside, score in a criss-cross pattern. Go as deep as you can without slicing through the bottom of the eggplant. This isn't as tricky as it sounds!
- Place the eggplant halves on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush all over with olive oil. Turn them over so that the cut side is now down. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the flesh of the eggplant is soft.
Meat sauce
- Meanwhile, make your meat sauce. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan, then cook the onion for a few minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon & oregano and cook for a minute longer.
- Add the meat to the pan and brown while breaking up with a wooden spoon.
- Add the tomato puree, water and wine. Simmer the sauce until it has thickened (about 30 minutes).
- Stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Béchamel
- To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the flour until you have a paste.
- Take off the heat, then stir in the milk little by little.
- Put the pan back on the heat and stir until the sauce has thickened and is just bubbling. Add about three quarters of the cheese and all of the nutmeg.
- Let cool for about five minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks (whole eggs are OK too).
Assembling & baking
- Arrange the baked eggplant (cut side up) in a 12 x 9 inch baking dish.
- Use a big metal spoon to squash down the eggplant inside the border you scored.
- Spoon some of the meat sauce inside each eggplant. It's OK if it's piled up a bit.
- Top each stuffed eggplant with a few spoonfuls of the cooled bechamel sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the bechamel sauce is golden and bubbling. Serve with a Greek salad, toasted bread and tzatziki (or Greek yoghurt), or just a nice fresh green salad.
Vicki Heard says
Made thisfor dinner with my Mum and sister. It was delicious. Sorry I didn’t get a pic. Will definitely make it again. I served it with a few baked wedges with lemon and rosemary (done at the same time) and steamed green beans, Greek yogurt and fresh mint leaves. Lovely combination but would also enjoy it with salad and crusty bread as you suggest. I made a few deviations to your recipe: 1. salted and drained the sliced and scored aubergines for about an hour then rinced and dried them with paper towel; 2. for the meat filling I had some left over napolitana sauce I had used for Aubergine Parmigiana recently and used this instead of the tomato paste. It worked well and had a little liquid smoke in it! Thank you for an inspiring recipe.
Helen says
Hello Vikki! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try. I’m so happy you liked it! It’s probably my all-time favourite Greek recipe. So cute and tasty! I love the sound of your changes. It’s wonderful to make a recipe your own, isn’t it? 🙂
Sofia // Papaya Pieces says
I know what you mean about how hard it is to find certain ingredients, in Barcelona too. When we do our ingredient challenges, I often have problems to find something or another. Which by the way you are free to join us whenever you feel like!
Even though though moving is hectic, I’m glad to hear you seem happy to be back in England now and closer to our family.
I love the name of this: little shoes. xx
Helen says
Thanks so much, Sofia … you are so sweet! It did feel great to be back home, but now it looks like we may be off to Perth again for a few more months. Still getting my head around it really! Thanks also for the invite to join your ingredient challenge, which always sounds so much fun. Maybe when I finally get settled! 😉
Sofia // Papaya Pieces says
Really, back to Perth? But just for a visit or to live??
Helen says
Well, for a few months. My husband has to be there for the launch of a new product. We only just found out. Can’t believe I’m going to be on the move again after I just wrote a post about being happy to settle. lol!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
This is so creative Helen! I would have never thought to make “little shoes” and go on stuffing an eggplant with this delicious filling! I’m super impressed! Hoping all this moving is going well for you and you can finally settle in and relax soon enough!
Helen says
Thanks so much, Chris. I actually have the Greeks to thank for naming these ‘little shoes’ … they are making me look good, aren’t they? 😉 It seems I may have spoken too soon about settling in and relaxing, but more about that as it happens …
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
Welcome back to the UK Helen. I am a new convert to roasted aubergines (courtesy of Mr Ottolenghi). This is one I would love to try too.
Helen says
Thank you so much, Bintu. It’s great to be home and I can’t wait to buy Ottolenghi’s book (or books, more like) I’d love to check out his aubergine recipe!
Lilli @ Sugar and Cinnamon says
Welcome home from your holiday! I love Greek food so this would be just amazing I can tell 🙂 Love the photos!
Helen says
Thank you so much, Lilli! I actually haven’t been on holiday. I’ve been living in Greece for many years and am now coming back home – so it’s a big change! So glad you like the dish!
whatjessicabakednext says
Hi Helen! This recipe looks amazing and it’s also right up my street! Love Greek food, so I definitely need to try these out! They’d be great for a BBQ especially! 🙂
Helen says
Oh yes, they would go down well at a BBQ, Jess! So glad you like them and I really hope you do give them a go. 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Glad that you are getting settled. Being in temporary conditions is never fun. My husband is in the military so we have moved a lot and done temporary living a lot! You make the best of it, but I never truly feel “at home” or settled. I love these stuffed shoes 😀 Sounds absolutely delicious! Pinning!
Helen says
I honestly know how you feel, Cindy. Have you ever lived abroad? So glad you like the ‘shoes’! 🙂
Lail | With A Spin says
Good luck and have fun settling in. I love Greek food so it’s no surprise I love these stuffed eggplants!
Helen says
Thanks so much for the good wishes, Lail. And so glad you like the ‘little shoes’! 🙂
Joanne says
Yay for finally getting to have a permanent place. I can definitely see why you are excited to be returning to the UK!
I think Italians also have a dish like this, but the translation is “little slippers”. They sound great! I think I could even get the.boy to eat eggplant without complaint with these!
Helen says
Yeah, go on Joanne, sneak one or two of these onto the.boy’s plate! I didn’t know the Italians have something similar, but I’m not at all surprised. Thanks for the good wishes – so excited to be home!
Karla says
Stuffed aubergines are amazing! A friend of mine is vegan and once I made it for dinner when she was here with bulgur instead of beef and it was also delicious!
I wish you luck on finding a new home 😉
Helen says
Hey, that’s a great idea to make a vegetarian version of these, Karla. I’ll have to try that. Thanks so much for the good wishes … we need them!
Karen @ Kama Fitness says
Helen these look amazing! I love how you’ve called them little “shoes” 🙂
Good luck on your move to the UK, I hope everything goes well for you!
I know it can be difficult not having your “real home” but at the same time, you’re so lucky to be able to travel & see the world!
Helen says
That’s so true, Karen. Talk about ‘first world problems’! So glad you liked the ‘little shoes’ and thanks so much for the good wishes. 🙂
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
Mmm, memories…my grandma used to make something very similar and I used to love them. These look so so delicious! It sounds like you had some good times in Greece but I bet it will be nice to be back home. 🙂
Helen says
I bet your grandma’s were amazing … Greek grandmas sure know how to cook usually! You hit the nail on the head, Tina. I did have some fabulous times in Greece, but now it’s time to be home for a while. 🙂
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
I am so ridiculously excited about this recipe! I do really love moussaka, but it is just a bit too fussy and time-consuming for me to ever actually make it! Problem solved! Yay!!! So cute, too! Totally pinning! And I’m really excited for you … what fun to look forward to the future as you share with Mr. Scrummy the adventure of getting settled and making a life of your own in a place that’s more for keeps! As fun as change and flux can be, sometimes it’s best enjoyed with a backdrop of something a bit more settled and permanent! 😀
Helen says
I love your enthusiasm about this recipe, Shelley. Thank you so much for the encouragement (once again!) Thanks so much also for the pin and the good wishes. You’re a sweetie! 🙂
Lady Lilith says
Very creative and full of flavor.
Helen says
Thank you, Lady Lilith! So glad you like the dish … and thanks for paying me a visit as well!
Chrissy says
We are leading parallel kitchen lives. Welcome home! What prompted your year long world travels, btw?
Helen says
Thank you so much, Chrissy. It’s so good to be home! I actually wasn’t ‘travelling’ as such. I got married to an Aussie and I was living in Greece, so we had to bring our lives in the 3 countries together somehow, if you like. 🙂
[email protected] Olives & Garlic says
While I prefer to be settled, change can be a very good thing. I bought eggplant at the farmers market today as I always do because I hope to discover a new way to cook it. I am so excited to try this recipe Helen. It looks delicious.
Helen says
Thanks, Kathy! I always get so excited when someone ‘threatens’ to make one of my recipes. I really hope you like it! 🙂
Allie | Baking a Moment says
I most definitely prefer to be settled! I’m such a homebody and a creature of habit. Living my life in flux like that would have me very out of sorts. I love your “little shoes,” and will definitely try making them when our eggplants come in from the garden! If they are anything at all like moussaka I know I will love them. Pinning 😉
Helen says
So so glad you approve of these, Allie, and I really hope you like them if you do end up giving them a go. To be honest even though I am home now I still feel ‘out of sorts’. I’m sure I’ll feel better in a few weeks once we’re settled and have found somewhere to live. Wow, you have eggplants growing in your garden! I would LOVE to do the same some day! 🙂