Our Favourite Greek Baked Eggplant With Tomato & Feta (Gluten-free)
on May 03, 2022
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This Greek baked eggplant with tomato sauce and feta is a great healthy (& gluten-free!) appetizer or side dish to serve with grilled meat or fish, meatballs and more. It might seem simple, but it’ll send your taste-buds soaring!
Eggplant ( or aubergine!) is a delicious, hearty and healthy ingredient that I barely knew existed before spending some years living in Greece. Eggplant moussaka is still one of my favorite dishes ever. These papoutsakia (Greek stuffed eggplant) will blow your mind. Or if you’re in the mood for pasta, try pasta alla norma or eggplant lasagna.
I first found something very similar to this delicious baked eggplant with tomato and feta cheese on the slightly sticky pages of the menu of a tourist restaurant close to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
Surprisingly, this turned out to be one of the most delicious meals ever. And as tasty as the other parts of our meal were, both myself and Mr. Scrummy agreed that this simple eggplant side dish was the runaway show-stealer!
Lucky for us (and for you!) we took the chance to ask our waiter how the baked eggplant was made. He told us that the eggplant is first baked in the oven by itself with a little olive oil. Then tomato sauce is poured over the top, followed by crumbled feta cheese, before the dish is put back in the oven to finish off.
So simple that I didn’t even need to jot it down.
I learned later that although not exactly the same, the recipe is similar to a traditional dish from the Greek island of Zakynthos called ‘skordostoumbi’, or garlic eggplant. It literally means ‘stuffed with garlic’, or rather ‘We are stuffed with garlic’, which I love!
Why you’ll love it
Hopefully I’ve already piqued your interest in this amazing Greek eggplant recipe. Here are even more reasons to love it:
- It’s so easy to make with just an eggplant, marinara sauce and feta cheese.
- It’s so healthy! It’s a great example of a Mediterranean diet recipe.
- It goes with so much. I serve it with Greek meatballs, sausages, Greek lemon rice and so much more (scroll down for more ideas). It’s also very tasty just served by itself with some bread or olive oil toasts.
- It’s surprisingly delicious. It’s hard to explain, but try it and I think you’ll see what I mean.
About the ingredients
Eggplant: Grab a nice firm and shiny one! I find a small to medium eggplant is all you need to make enough to serve 4 as a side dish (or 2 as a main with bread).
Olive oil: As always, I recommend using a good quality extra virgin olive oil. It makes all the difference to the flavor!
Garlic: You need 5 cloves. I like to slice them rather than crush them for this recipe, since you really want the garlicky flavor to infuse into the delicious sauce.
Canned tomatoes: Just a regular can of tomatoes is fine – whatever you have. If you’re buying a can especially for this recipe, however, I prefer to get organic whole peeled tomatoes. They’re generally better quality than chopped tomatoes. Just ‘snip’ them in the can with a pair of scissors!
Fresh basil: This is optional but does add to the flavor of the sauce. I don’t chop it. I just put a couple of whole sprigs into the sauce as it’s cooking to infuse the flavor. Then I remove the herbs when the sauce is cooked.
Salt, peper, sugar, balsamic vinegar: These make all the difference! If you like you can substitute the sugar with honey.
How to make Greek baked eggplant
Clue: It’s super easy.
Step 1: Bake the eggplant uncovered for 45 minutes (after slicing it in half and scoring it in a criss-cross pattern). I usually brush all over with olive oil first then place it face down in a baking dish. It’s done when it looks kind of collapsed and wrinkled, but of course not burnt.
Step 2: Meanwhile, make the very easy tomato garlic sauce. This is the most incredible basic marinara sauce ever (Use store-bought instead if you like!). All you do is add the garlic to the oil in a medium frying pan, then add the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper, and herbs if you have them. Then add half a can of water and let the sauce simmer for around 15 to 20 minutes or until it’s slightly thickened.
At this point, your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing!
Step 3: Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant and scatter over some feta cheese. Bake again for another 15 minutes.
So all in all this version of Greek roasted eggplant takes just over an hour. This might sound like a long time, but you really do want that eggplant to be nice and soft.
And trust me, it’s worth it. This really is simple vegetarian Mediterranean food at its best!
Helen’s Top tips
- Use store-bought marinara sauce to make this recipe even easier. I do this at least half the time. Shh, don’t tell anyone.
- Make a double batch of the sauce and use the rest as a simple pasta or pizza sauce.
- Feel free to serve this hot or a bit cooler (the Greeks often serve dishes like this at room temperature).
- Vary the recipe by sprinkling with parmesan cheese instead of feta to make a simple eggplant parmesan.
How to serve this dish
The cute little brown dishes with lids that you see in the photos are just perfect for baking this delicious Mediterranean side dish in, don’t you think? And all for the thrifty price of about 3 euros each!
You may not be able to jet off to the Mediterranean to pick some up, but I find these these mini casserole dishes by Pioneer Woman very cute too! (affiliate link)
When I first made my own slightly guessed version of this easy aubergine dish, Mr. Scrummy and I ate it alongside some greek lemon chicken and potatoes leftovers. Again … it was the star of the show.
Here are some more ways to serve your delicious tomato eggplant:
- Eat it by itself with Greek bread (or any crusty bread), grilled garlic bread or this 2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt.
- Serve as a side dish alongside some grilled meat or even fish. I love to serve this with Greek air fryer meatballs (there’s an oven version too!), oven baked chicken kabobs, air fryer rotisserie chicken or simple pork sausages.
- For a super low-carb meal, skip the feta on top and serve with these amazing crispy halloumi fries! Once tried forever a family favorite (trust me).
- Keep it vegetarian but for a more substantial meal, serve alongside these legendary Greek potatoes.
More things to know (recipe FAQ)
Some people think that you do. I never do, however, and certainly not for this dish. These days, eggplant doesn’t generally taste bitter like it sometimes used to. So I think you can safely skip this step.
Absolutely! I do this all the time. You can bake the eggplant and make the sauce earlier in the day, or even the day before. Then top the cooked eggplant with the sauce and feta and store it covered in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, just bake for 15 minutes until hot and browned on top.
The leftovers are good reheated, too. I usually just cover and reheat for a few minutes in the microwave.
Eggplant is exceptionally good for you. Especially when drenched in a delicious tomato garlic sauce like in this recipe. It contains antioxidants like vitamin A and C and is high in fibre and low in calories and fat. It doesn’t ‘taste healthy’, though. You really won’t believe how delicious this dish is!
Looking for another easy Greek vegetarian main dish? You have to try this easy stovetop version of classic Greek giant beans as well!
More ‘favorite’ Mediterranean recipes to try
- Crispy brussels sprouts with tahini sauce and almonds (the best brussels sprouts of your life!)
- These life-changing fried halloumi bites or crispy halloumi fries (perfect appetizers for guests!)
- Crispy fried chickpeas (great on salads or soups!)
- Ever made a proper Spanish omelette, otherwise known as a tortilla de patatas? Prepare to have your mind blown! Serve with incredible and easy pan con tomate or Spanish bruschetta.
- If all else fails, serve your meal with a traditional Greek salad. Or eat the salad by itself with fresh bread for lunch!
Our Favourite Greek Baked Eggplant With Tomato & Feta
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, / aubergine, sliced in half lengthwise and scored all over in a criss-cross pattern (without cutting through the skin).
- olive oil, for baking
- 3 ounces feta cheese
for the tomato sauce
- 0.25 cups olive oil
- 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, (400 grams = 1 can)
- ½ bunch fresh basil, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper, (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 0.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Brush the eggplant with a generous amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with a bit of salt.1 eggplant
- Bake each eggplant half facedown in little separate baking dishes (or side by side in a slightly bigger baking dish) for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
- Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a pan with a large surface area, then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes (don’t brown the garlic), then add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper. Half fill the empty tomato can with water and add that to the pan, too.olive oil, 5 cloves of garlic, 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, ½ bunch fresh basil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper
- Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove the herb sprigs. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and stir in.1 teaspoon sugar, 0.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant/aubergines, then crumble over the feta. Bake for about another 15 minutes or until the tomato sauce is bubbling.3 ounces feta cheese
Oh my goodness! This was absolutely incredible. I made it using a mix of fresh tomatoes, weighed to measure approx 400 gr. I used maybe 7-8 sliced garlic cloves since they were small, I accidentally added sugar with other spices when I put it into the pan, but it tasted very salty later, so I added another spoon of sugar when I added the smoked balsamic. We had fresh homemade chicken tenders and garlic toast with it. This absolutely has to be the best eggplant recipe ever. My family loved it and my husband is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. This goes into my rotation to make very often, as long as eggplants are available. Thank you so much – it was a smash hit. 🙂
Hello Donna, and thank you SO much for the lovely feedback! This is my favourite eggplant recipe too. We’ve been making it for several years. I really like the sound of the way you served it, and I’m so happy it went down so well with your family! Have a great weekend! 🙂
I just need to shut my eyes while I eat this and I’m back at that little restaurant on the beach in Naxos with the waves lapping at my feet!!!! Delicious!
Ahhh, I know, Ali… I adore this recipe and it always reminds me of eating in a traditional taverna in Athens. So happy you enjoyed it too. Have you tried any of my other Greek recipes? They’re all really easy and quite authentic tasting 😉
Really good! I lived in Thessaloniki for 2 years, and this dish, or a version of it, was on most Taverna menus. Some of the best meals we had there were at little places like you describe, with tacky (literally and figuratively!) menus, but amazing, simple food.
I make my tomatoes more chunky than saucy – just some chopped fresh tomatoes cooked for a short time with some garlic and olive oil – to make it more like the style in Thessaloniki.
Thanks Ronna – glad you liked this! You know, in all the time I was in Greece (a long time!) I never visited Thessaloniki. But I love how every region of Greece has its own dishes. I like your idea of making the sauce easier. Why not? 😉
Thessaloniki is a great food city, because it’s got Greek food, but it is heavily influenced by Turkish and Bulgarian food, so we found the food even better there than in Athens and some of the beach place.
Yes, absolutely! Isn’t that wonderful? I think this must be one of those recipes…
So easy and so delicious!
I made this yesterday for myself and 90 yr old Dad, who often doesn’t like these flavours. I was prepared for him to say he didn’t enjoy it, but he actually said it was so good he could lick the plate!
I keep hearing similar things to this about this recipe, Zoe – that people usually don’t like eggplant but really enjoy this. Thank you so much for letting me know – it makes me very happy to hear your dad enjoyed it so much! There’s an eggplant pasta recipe on the site that people seem to like a lot too – just in case you’d like to try your luck with that one as well 🙂
I Love this recipe! It is perfectly flavorful and easy to make. My husband is suggesting I serve it to guests tonight.
I lined my baking dish with parchment paper because I don’t have individual baking dishes and need easy transfer for serving.
I was not a fan of eggplant until trying this recipe!
Thank you,
Beth Taylor
Hi Beth, and thank you so much for leaving a review. It’s wonderful, isn’t it? And I think it’s perfect for either a midweek meal for yourselves, or for serving to guests. It goes so well with whatever protein you want to serve it with, and I find it’s even good by itself! I also have an eggplant pasta recipe on the site that’s quite popular – maybe you’d like that too? 🙂
We have made it twice with great results. The family and friends Loved it. We served it as a main dish accompanied by lightly steamed broccoli crowns topped with a garlic butter sauce and crusty bread rolls..
I have also had this dish prepared with some crisp ground lamb on top of the eggplant.
Hello! So glad you enjoy this! I really love it too. I like to serve it with meatballs of some description (usually Greek!) but I love your idea of putting crispy lamb on the top – what a great idea! Thank you so much for your review! I’m just about to post a recipe for stuffed peppers and tomatoes (gemista) that I think you might like too – look out for the recipe in the next few weeks! (if you sign up on my home page you won’t miss it 😉
I just made this for the second time, had to double the recipe because the first time I made it, it disappeared within minutes! I think this is my new favorite dish. I used Manchego cheese as I’m not a feta fan, and it worked very well. Thanks for this!
Hello Laura! I always feel very happy to hear about it when other people seem to enjoy this as much as we do! I like your idea of using Manchego – this definitely works well with other cheeses. If you liked this, you might enjoy my ‘pasta alla norma’ recipe too – it uses similar ingredients but of course is a pasta dish. Thank you for the feedback!
Amazin recipe! I’ve never tryed the feta cheese and now I’m adiccted to it. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Sergio! There are so many delicious recipes with feta cheese for you to try – you’ll never look back! Try this pumpkin, chorizo and feta salad or this spinach and feta filo pie!
I am always looking for new ways to use eggplant and your recipe will be on our menu soon ! Will also pass it on to my mom-in-law as she has a serious addiction to anything eggplant 😉
Oh that’s so good to know, Linda – I really hope you and your Mom-in-law enjoy it as much as we do!
We are not gluten free and this recipe was a hit with the whole family!
So happy to hear this, Sarah. Thank you so much for letting me know!