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Sausage Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

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 eggplants covered in melty cheese.

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. 

hollowed out eggplant-halves.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. Transfer those empty eggplant shells to a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and set aside, cut-side up. 
  3. In a skillet, fry some onions and add in chopped up eggplant flesh; cook for 2 minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. Season and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until sausage is evenly browned and eggplant is tender.
  6. Wipe down the eggplant shells with paper towels, then, fill them up with the sausage mixture.
  7. Pour HOT water into the rimmed baking sheet, around the eggplants.
  8. 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.
  9. Remove from oven and serve. Don’t forget the wine. 
cooked sausage mixture for eggplants.

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. 

stuffed eggplants on a rimmed baking sheet.

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. 😍

halved eggplant stuffed with sausage.

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

ENJOY!

halved eggplant stuffed with sausage.

Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

Katerina | Diethood
Stuffed with spicy sausage and topped with cheese, this eggplant recipe is a satisfying, healthy dinner you’ll go back to again and again.
4.94 from 15 votes
Servings : 4 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

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

Serving: 1 stuffed eggplant | Calories: 603 kcal | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Protein: 26 g | Fat: 49 g | Saturated Fat: 17 g | Cholesterol: 101 mg | Sodium: 1021 mg | Potassium: 871 mg | Fiber: 7 g | Sugar: 8 g | Vitamin A: 539 IU | Vitamin C: 13 mg | Calcium: 258 mg | Iron: 2 mg

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.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Macedonian
Keyword: baked eggplant recipe, gluten free recipe, italian sausage, keto dinner idea, low carb recipe, sausage recipe, stuffed eggplant
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*Recipe originally published on February 15th, 2011. Post was updated on November 22nd, 2019.

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80 comments on “Sausage Stuffed Eggplant Recipe”

  1. Avatar photo
    Sandra Valentino

    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.

  2. I love italian sausage, but found these to be quite greasy. Next time would skip cheese and add tomato sauce to cut the grease.

  3. Avatar photo
    Frances Kaelin

    Will the skin of the egg plant become soft to eat with stuffing? Wondering if it will edible or just a shell for stuffing??

  4. 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!).

    1. 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!

  5. Avatar photo
    Jacque Hastert

    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!

  6. This recipe was so good! Had it for dinner and it was truly delicious. Can’t wait to make this again!!

    1. If the baking sheet has a rim, you can fill it with just enough water, enough to cook the shells a bit. You don’t have to fill it completely with water. Hope this helps

  7. Avatar photo
    The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time

    ::sigh:: Now you’re taking me back to my childhood and being forced to eat eggplant. The only thing I could tolerate it in is still my favorite dish in the world; moussaka. When my mom stuffed eggplant, I rebelled. Of course, she was making dolma, not this amazing looking boat filled with sausage and covered in cheese. That might have changed things!

  8. This is something I haven’t made in a loooong while, thanks for the reminder! It looks absolutely delicious!

  9. Avatar photo
    littleyellowkitchen

    I love that this recipe has so few ingredients. It looks delicious and I don’t have to go all over town finding items to make it!

  10. *Saved* Will definitely be making this. We are huge eggplant parm fans so I’m sure my husband would love it.

  11. Avatar photo
    5 Star Foodie

    It’s great to learn about St. Trifun celebration! And the sausage stuffed eggplant sounds amazingly delicious!

  12. Wow this looks so good! I love eggplant and never thought about stuffing them like this. Really looks tasty… I’m a big fan of eggplant parmigiana and also baked eggplant with pasta sauce and melted mozzarella. This I gotta try…

  13. remind me to thank St. Trifun! that eggplant stuffed with sausage looks simply amazing! I would love to give that wonderful dish a try. I do enjoy eggplant but have never thought of stuffing it!
    thanks for a great recipe!
    Dennis

  14. Mmmm….so good. I’m so used to seeing stuffed zucchini…stuffed eggplant is a great change of pace.

  15. Avatar photo
    France @beyondthepeel

    We used to have this as kids growing up. My mother used zucchinis back then because they grew to the size of baseball bats on steroids and called them zucchini boats. She would make flags from straws or toothpicks and paper. Somehow it doesn’t have the same appeal as an adult. Red wine, sausage and eggplants gives it a much classier twist! Looks great

  16. I love your recipe. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and making such a yummy dish with it sounds great. Thanks for sharing.

  17. Avatar photo
    Gabby@FoodChowDown

    I love eggplant. I’m so jealous you have a backyard and are able to grow stuff. I live in apartment complex in Florida but if I had a backyard not sure I have the green thumb for it.

  18. Avatar photo
    Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather

    This sounds amazing! I’ve never seen stuffed eggplant before but now I want to give it a go!

  19. Avatar photo
    Mina @ Angellove's Cooking

    I rarely cook eggplant myself, but your recipe looks increadibly – so comforting and savoury!! I would definitely give that a try!!

  20. This sounds like a great dish! And what a great additional holiday to celebrate! Your grape vines are gorgeous!

  21. I didn’t know about st.trifun. How cool!

    Your eggplant looks soooo good. I can’t believe i even said that coz eggplants are not my favorite veggie. But, wow! I would love to try that out.

    1. Avatar photo
      Kate @ Diethood.com

      The grapes grown in the church’s yard, in this instance 3 churches, and it means the wine is natural, made from grapes of the vine, and not corrupt. That is the same wine that is used in communion. The older churches, or monasteries, in Macedonia were always accompanied with a plot of land and that land was used to grow many fruits, including grapes.

  22. Avatar photo
    Clarkie @ Beloved Green

    “St. Trifun, the Guardian of wine and wine makers” — I don’t think he gets enough credit because I am very thankful for him watching over my wine.

    Love the eggplant and sausage combo!

  23. Avatar photo
    MarmandeintheKitchen

    I love the combination of eggplant and sausage – looks delicious! I like the idea of celebrating the patron saint of wine makers!

  24. Avatar photo
    Lindsey at Burn Me Not

    Wow, this looks incredible! I want to make this asap! I love eggplant, and the fact that it’s stuffed with sausage means that my hubby will love it too. 🙂

  25. Looks wonderful! Anything stuffed with sausage is a winner in my books. I love hearing about the Macedonian traditions! Thank you for sharing!

  26. It’s been so long ago since I heard thyme called Majcina Dusica! I love this plant, especially when it blooms! Stuffed eggplants are devine, thank you for sharing your story Kate 🙂

  27. Avatar photo
    Cristina - Teenie Cakes

    Oh! This looks like a tasty meal with all those garlic cloves and topped with mozzarella. Great looking dish!

  28. I’ve had eggplant once and it was plain and boring. Adding sausage and cheese is a great idea. Thank you, now I’ll try it again. And that roll looks delicious. Hope you had a fun St. Trifun’s Day!

  29. Oh how splendid! I ahven’t made eggplant since the summer. Must rectify that. I loved the info on the holiday.

  30. I love learning about your Macedonian food and customs. This dish sounds so hearty and delicious. Thanks for sharing!

  31. Avatar photo
    kateiscooking

    MMM, that looks spectacular. I’m going to have to buy an eggplant to make this for dinner next week. Actually, it’d probably be great for a night I teach a seminar because it’d reheat well? Thanks!! Kate @ kateiscooking

  32. Avatar photo
    Maya@Foodiva's Kitchen

    Thanks for telling us all about St. Trifun Day, I never knew about that before. Your stuffed eggplant looks totally scrumptious!

  33. Great job with this posting…this is something very dear to my heart and something that i grew up on in an italian household…thanks for the great posting…
    big al

  34. Avatar photo
    Laura @ prettylittlewords

    A holiday that celebrates WINE? Um, best holiday ever!

    I think you just made me drool on my keyboard. Can’t wait to try this one out, lady!

  35. You had me at stuffed.. I love eggplant and I love sausage and this meal just sounds absolutely delicious on so many fronts! I can’t wait to make this! 🙂

  36. Avatar photo
    Cheryl and Adam

    There’s something about stuffed vegetables, peppers, eggplant, that is just comforting. This is great and warm and delicious! And… God bless and keep Saint Trifun!

  37. Avatar photo
    Hester aka The Chef Doc

    I’m not sure why I’ve never thought about stuffing an eggplant. It’s an incredible idea! I love it! Yours look amazeballs. I think I’ll have to make this soon!

  38. Avatar photo
    Leanna @ Raptortoe.com

    This looks really good! I’m generally not a fan of any stuffed vegetables, but I’d probably enjoy this!!!

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