Papoutsakia - Greek Stuffed eggplants

A plate with two stuffed eggplants and some herbs.

Papoutsakia - Greek Stuffed eggplants

Papoutsakia- Greek stuffed eggplants have a hearty tomato sauce and luxurious creamy béchamel.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Servings

Calories 647kcal

Author by Jenny | The Greek Foodie

Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper
Large size saucepan
Medium size saucepan
baking pan

Ingredients

For the eggplants

2 large eggplants cut in half

For the tomato sauce

1 onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
28 oz tomatoes crushed . San Marzano whole tomatoes like Gustarosso.
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick

for the bechamel

3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour plus more you need to thicken the sauce.
1 cup whole milk plus more you need to loosen the sauce.
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup kefalotiri cheese grated

You also need

½ cup extra virgin olive oil total
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
dried oregano

Instructions

Prepare the eggplants

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and make some cuts at the flesh crosswise with a sharp knife carefully to not cut the skin.
Sprinkle about 2-3 tbsp olive oil all over the eggplants, season with sea salt and pepper and a pinch of oregano.
Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet facing down and bake for 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a baking pan with the skin down.

Make the tomato sauce

Place a saucepan on high heat, and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, a generous pinch of oregano, the bay leaf, and cinnamon stick, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, season with sea salt and pepper, stir and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.
With a fork, lightly tease the flesh of the eggplants.
Remove some of the flesh, about one teaspoon, from each eggplant. Create a hollow space—that's where you will add the filling.
Be careful not to remove too much flesh.
Add the eggplant flesh to your tomato sauce and stir.

Start assembling

Place the eggplants in a baking pan.
Fill them evenly with about two tablespoons of tomato sauce.
Sprinkle over some crumbled feta cheese.
Add leftover tomato sauce around the eggplants.

Make the béchamel

In a saucepan, warm the milk with the bay leaf.
In another saucepan, on medium heat, add the butter and stir with a whisk or a wooden spoon until the butter melts.
Add the flour in batches. Keep stirring to create a "roux."
Discard the bay leaf from the milk.
Gradually add the milk to the roux while stirring vigorously to avoid lumps from the flour.
As soon as the mixture begins to thicken and the sauce is smooth and has a nice, not-too-thick texture remove from heat.
Add the ground nutmeg and ¾ cup of grated kefalotiri—season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Finish assembling and bake

Top eggplants with at least two tablespoons of bechamel sauce.
Sprinkle the rest of the grated kefalotiri on top of the béchamel. Add a pinch of chili flakes all over if you like.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top develops a nice golden color.
Serve immediately with a green salad and warm bread to dip in the sauce.

Notes

For faster results, use your favorite marinara sauce to top the eggplants.

No time to make the béchamel? Add some good quality feta cheese on top of the red sauce, and call it a day. The salty feta cheese paired with the tomato sauce and the sweet eggplant will work well together, and I guarantee you will be satisfied with the result.

Suitable substitutes for kefalotiri cheese are parmesan or pecorino romano. But you can still use any hard cheese you can grate. Manchego, Asiago will work in a pinch.

My favorite tomatoes are canned authentic San Marzano unless it is tomato season. They are whole tomatoes, so I crush them with clean hands.

I do not recommend using tomato sauce; it is too liquid. This dish needs small rustic chunks of tomatoes to mingle with the béchamel, eggplants, and cheese.

Note. A kind reader mentioned that a classic béchamel is a white roux and milk. Adding cheese makes this a Mornay or a white cheese sauce. He is right, of course, but because Greeks traditionally call this white sauce a bechamel, I chose to leave the recipe written as is and not correct it.

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition