🍆 Papoutsakia
Papoutsakia are Greek baked eggplant halves filled with a tomato and ground beef sauce, topped with béchamel and grated parmesan-style cheese. The eggplant turns silky, the filling savoury and the creamy top golden in the oven. The name means "little shoes", after their shape. They are served warm as a main course, often with a salad.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggplants, halved lengthways
- 400 g ground beef
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano, salt and pepper
- 300 ml béchamel sauce
- 40 g grated parmesan
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 °C. Score the eggplant flesh, brush lightly with oil and bake cut side up for 25 minutes.
- Brown the beef in a pan, add the tomatoes and oregano, season and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Press the soft eggplant flesh down to make a hollow and fill with the meat sauce.
- Spoon béchamel on top and sprinkle with parmesan.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden.
How to make it lighter
- Use lean ground beef (5% fat) and drain the fat after browning.
- Spread a thin layer of béchamel or top with only the parmesan.
- Bake the eggplants instead of frying them — they absorb far less oil.
History
Papoutsakia belong to the family of Greek oven dishes topped with béchamel, alongside moussaka and pastitsio. Today they are a regular in tavernas and family kitchens across Greece.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →