Stuffed Eggplant
Stuffed with spicy sausage and topped with cheese, this stuffed eggplant recipe is a satisfying, healthy dinner you’ll go back to again and again.
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings 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
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Prepare the eggplants. Cut the eggplants in half, longwise. Scoop out the flesh/pulp, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the eggplant shell. Chop up the pulp and set it aside.
- Season the eggplants. Place the empty eggplant shells on a rimmed baking sheet; season the empty shells with salt and pepper, and let stand cut-side up.
- Cook the onions and pulp. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and the chopped eggplant flesh to the skillet; cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the sausage. Break up the sausage with your fingers and add it to the skillet; stir in the garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook until the 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.
- Taste for seasonings. Remove the skillet from the heat and taste the mixture for salt and pepper; adjust accordingly.
- Stuff the eggplants. Using paper towels, wipe down the eggplant shells/boats. Stuff the sausage mixture into the eggplant shells.
- Bake. Pour hot water inside the baking sheet, around the eggplants. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.
- Add cheese. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top of each eggplant. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve. Remove from oven and serve.
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: 1stuffed eggplant | Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1021mg | Potassium: 871mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 539IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 2mg
