Stuffed Eggplants with Ground Beef
Tender roasted eggplant boats filled with aromatic ground meat and topped with luscious béchamel sauce and a golden layer of cheese. A dish found on tables across Greece because it's pure Mediterranean comfort in every bite.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 517kcal
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggplants
beef and tomato filling
- 225 grams ground beef about ½ lb
- ¾ cup yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced or mashed
- 1 large tomato finely diced
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon sugar
- pinch cinnamon
- 1 egg white
bechamel
- 500 ml milk approximately 2 cups
- 50 grams flour approximately 6 tablespoons
- 50 grams butter approximately 3 tablespoons
- 1 egg yolk
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
garnish
- ½ cup Greek kefalotiri or parmesan cheese or see recipe post for alternatives
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 360°F.
Prep the eggplants
- Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers to form shallow boats. Lightly salt and let sit while you prep the filling.
Optional step
- Chop the scooped-out eggplant flesh to cook into the filling for added creaminess and texture.
Make the meat filling
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft, then add garlic and (optionally) chopped eggplant. Cover and cook until eggplant is tender and reduced.
Add remaining filling ingredients
- Stir in ground meat, tomato, tomato paste, oregano, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and sugar. Simmer until most moisture evaporates. Set aside to cool.
Make the béchamel
- In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour to form a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thick. Remove from heat and stir in salt and nutmeg.
Finish prep
- Stir egg white into the cooled meat filling. Stir egg yolk into the béchamel. (If filling is still hot, temper the egg white first.)
Assemble
- Pat eggplant halves dry. Fill with meat mixture, top with béchamel, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake
- Bake at 180°C (360°F) for 25–30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.
Garnish
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and (if you like) more cheese.
Notes
If you end up with more filling than necessary, you can easily use it by stuffing another vegetable and cooking it in the same pan as a mix. Hollowed out meaty tomatoes like Roma are a good option. Blanched onion can also work.