Greek Stuffed Eggplant with Chicken

Mains

2 people

oven, mixing bowl, saucepan

Preparation: 20 minutes – Cooking time: 30 minutes – Keeps up to two days in the refrigerator

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Ingredients

3 eggplants
300 g minced chicken
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper and sea salt
Parsley
Pomegranate seeds

For the vegan béchamel sauce (gluten-free and lactose-free)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice flour
300 ml (1 ¼ cup) almond milk, unsweetened
Black pepper and sea salt
Nutmeg

On the menu today: Greek Stuffed Eggplant with Chicken or ‘papoutsakia’, a recipe from my new cookbook ‘Goed Eten’.

I tried it for the first time during a vacation on the Greek island of Crete and I just can't get enough of it. Grilled eggplant, so soft and tender, stuffed with minced meat, Mediterranean spices and a generous helping of béchamel sauce.

Here I prepare it with minced chicken and a creative version of béchamel sauce, which is lactose-free and gluten-free, inspired by my mother's homemade moussaka. The ultimate comfort food!

For a vegan version, you could use smoked tofu and finely chop it to create plant-based minced meat.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe so be sure to leave a message below in the comments.

Looking for more healthy comfort food recipes? Have a look at my latest cookbook ‘Goed Eten’, with 60 new recipes and lots of nutrition tips to help calm your nervous system and stabilize your blood sugar levels. The key to a healthy weight, more energy and a better night's sleep.

The recipes are gluten-free, sugar-free, mostly lactose-free and a combination of vegan, vegetarian, fish and poultry. Much of the recipes are low carb. They also include kid-proof comfort foods like breakfast pancakes, chicken schnitzel, meatballs and vanilla pudding with gingerbread cookies.

Enjoy!

Love,

Greek stuffed eggplant with chicken, from my new cookbook ‘Goed Eten’

DIRECTIONS:

For the béchamel sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and stir in the rice flour until it forms a smooth paste without any lumps. Let it simmer gently for about two minutes, while continuing to stir. Pour in the almond milk little by little and keep stirring well. Turn up the heat until the sauce almost begins to boil and keep stirring so you don't get any lumps. Then turn down the heat and keep stirring until the sauce is nice and smooth and has thickened enough to your liking. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 175°C.
For the filling, finely chop the onion and garlic. Add them to a bowl and mix with the minced chicken, the tomato paste, cinnamon and oregano. Season with pepper and some salt if necessary (often chicken mince is already salty enough).
Cut the eggplants into slices of about 2 centimeters thick. Spread them on a baking sheet or a large baking dish and season with olive oil. Top each slice with the minced chicken and add a generous serving of béchamel sauce. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

Delicious with a fresh salad of sweet tomato, cucumber, spring onion and dill or fresh mint, a little fresh lemon juice, olive oil, pepper and salt.
For a super quick version, you can replace the béchamel sauce with 50 g of grated cheese; add it about 10 minutes before serving so it gets golden brown (but not overcooked) in the oven.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe so be sure to leave a message below in the comments. You can also tag me on Instagram @julieslifestyleofficial so I can see and share your photos.