Greek-Style Stuffed Eggplant: Melitzanes Paputsakia (Updated)

Get the recipe here: https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/melitz...

Ingredients
3 eggplants, washed and dried
1 pound ground beef, chicken or lamb
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
15 oz (425g) crushed tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, grated
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
shredded or grated Parmesan/Kefalotiri cheese
For the Béchamel:

2 cups whole milk
5 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
pinch of ground nutmeg
about 2 cups of grated parmesan
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °C.
Slice the eggplants in half, lengthwise and cut criss-cross slits into the flesh being careful not to cut all the way down to the bottom. Place the slices into a baking pan.
Drizzle the eggplant slices with about a quarter cup of the olive oil. Add more if needed. Season the flesh side with salt and pepper.
Roast the eggplant slices in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until golden and tender.
Make the Meat Sauce: Add the onion, a quarter cup of olive oil, and a pinch of salt to a pot and cook over medium heat until soft and golden. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant. Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes. Add the tomato and a cup of water. Cook the sauce over medium-high heat until thickened. About 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add the oregano and chopped parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Make the Bechamel Sauce: Add the olive oil and flour to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted. Add the milk, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Whisk together and cook until it comes to a boil and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
In another bowl beat the eggs until smooth and add some of the hot bechamel to the eggs. Whisk together to temper the eggs. Add the egg mixture to the pot and whisk together. Add the cheese and mix it until incorporated.
Assemble the Papoutsakia:
Mash the eggplant flesh to make room for the filling.
Sprinkle the top of the eggplant with some grated cheese. Divide the meat sauce equally. Top with béchamel sauce and then sprinkle the top with more cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Kali Orexi!Music Used:
Greek Sun Time (With Intro)
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By: tonyanthony

Its All Greek
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By: LowNotes


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