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These sausage stuffed eggplant boats are as tasty as they are fun to eat. Stuffed with spicy sausage and topped with cheese, this baked eggplant recipe is a satisfying, healthy dinner you’ll go back to again and again.
SAUSAGE STUFFED EGGPLANT
Italian sausage and roasted eggplant come together to yield a delicious, hearty, and filling meal, perfect for this time of year. It’s packed with delicious flavors stuffed into hollowed-out eggplant shells and topped with plenty of cheese.
Besides, with so many flavors and textures in this dish, you’ll never know that it’s actually low-carb and Keto-friendly, too!
In fact, this meal satisfies my most intense craving for cozy, comforting, healthy homemade food.
HOW TO BAKE SAUSAGE STUFFED EGGPLANTS
Sausage Stuffed Eggplant is one of those specialties that we enjoy from time to time, and last night was one of those times. Made with our very own homemade sausage, lots of garlic, and a touch of thyme.
- We begin with scooping out the flesh from the eggplant with a spoon or a melon baller, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on the sides of the eggplant. Chop up the flesh, or pulp, and set aside.
- Transfer those empty eggplant shells to a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and set aside, cut-side up.
- In a skillet, fry some onions and add in chopped up eggplant flesh; cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove casings from the sausage, break up the meat with your fingers, and add to the skillet. You can break it up with a spoon while cooking, but I find it easier if I do it myself, beforehand.
- Season and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until sausage is evenly browned and eggplant is tender.
- Wipe down the eggplant shells with paper towels, then, fill them up with the sausage mixture.
- Pour HOT water into the rimmed baking sheet, around the eggplants.
- Bake for around 25 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese, and continue to bake for few more minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and serve. Don’t forget the wine.
If you don’t love eggplants, yet, I think you definitely WILL after a bite of this recipe.
HOW TO STORE STUFFED EGGPLANTS
- Store cooled stuffed-eggplants in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- To freeze, store completely cooled sausage stuffed eggplants in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350˚F oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
I have to give you my little back story to this recipe. This has to be one of my favorite meals that my Mom used to make when we were little, using homemade sausages. And, this eggplant recipe was ALWAYS served on Valentine’s Day. Lemme tell you why.
You see, we Macedonians celebrate St. Trifun, the Guardian of wine and wine makers ❤️, on the same day that the other part of the world celebrates Valentine’s Day.
In honor of St. Trifun, on the 14th of February a celebration takes place in many city squares in Macedonia with a program that includes agricultural and cultural happenings, and the famous Wine Fair. The priests say a prayer, and the pruning season is symbolically marked with the pruning of the three church wine grapes.
Then, we all eat and drink until we can’t walk. 🥴 🥂
To wrap it up, though; basically, she served Sausage Stuffed Eggplant on St. Trifun because it goes SO damn well with wine. TRY IT. 😍
ANYWHO! Enough about me and my beautiful Macedonian roots. NOW, go make these delicious eggplants.
They are EASY to make, they are super satisfying, crazy delicious, and freezer friendly. 👊
MORE EGGPLANT RECIPES
- Eggplant Rollatini
- Italian Sausage and Eggplant Casserole
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Baked Eggplant Penne Pasta
ENJOY!
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Sausage Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants,, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 small yellow onion, , diced
- 1 pound Italian sausage*, casing removed, (use your choice of sausage; pork, turkey, beef, etc... - but I recommend using one with a bit of heat)
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Cut eggplants in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh/pulp, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the eggplant shell. Chop up the pulp and set aside.
- Place empty eggplant shells on a rimmed baking sheet; season the empty shells with salt and pepper, and let stand cut-side up.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add diced onions and chopped eggplant-flesh to the skillet; cook for 2 minutes.
- Break up the sausage with your fingers and add it to the skillet; stir in garlic and season with parsley, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook until sausage is evenly browned. About 6 minutes.You can also break up the sausage using a wooden spoon while cooking, but I find it easier to work with it when I break it up beforehand.
- Remove skillet from heat and taste the mixture for seasonings; adjust accordingly.
- Using paper towels, wipe down the eggplant shells/boats.
- Stuff the sausage mixture into the eggplant shells.
- Pour hot water inside the baking sheet, around the eggplants.
- Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top of each eggplant.
- Bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Notes
NET CARBS: 10
RECIPE NOTES:
- For this recipe, I used Johnsonville's HOT Italian Sausage, but I have also used Jennie-O's Lean Italian Turkey Sausage, and it was delicious.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
*Recipe originally published on February 15th, 2011. Post was updated on November 22nd, 2019.
Absolutely delicious, thank you!!
I added sun-dried tomatoes and used ground lamb.
Thank you so much! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! ๐
This was so good! I added Parmesan & some mozzarella into the sausage mixture before baking it for 30 minutes. After it baked I poured out the water and drizzled it with some homemade red gravy and topped it with mozzarella and broiled it for a minute or two until top was browned.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
I love italian sausage, but found these to be quite greasy. Next time would skip cheese and add tomato sauce to cut the grease.
Will the skin of the egg plant become soft to eat with stuffing? Wondering if it will edible or just a shell for stuffing??
It does get soft, so you can definitely eat it once it is cooked.
Had this for dinner last night, & it was a winner. Beautiful flavours, extra punch from the mildly spicy italian sausage, & you were right; it goes beautifully with a glass of wine. I think I’ll serve it next St. Trifun’s Day (my new favourite festival!).
These sausage stuffed eggplant boats would disappear in our house!
Hi, am planning on making this tomorrow night, looks utterly divine, just a question….why the hot water around the eggplant?! I’m a tad confused, sorry!
To soften the eggplant shells.
This is such a great way to use eggplant! Love the sausage in this too!
Sounds like a delicious dinner idea for tonight! Looks irresistible!
You’re right, it DOES look irresistible! I’m thinking of trying it …. how did YOU enjoy it?
The flavors in this dish are amazing! We loved it!
This recipe might be a new favorite of mine. We love eggplant here and I have never thought of stuffing it. This is going down very, very soon!