Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

You have to try this recipe for stuffed eggplant with cheese on top. You can buy small eggplants and use them as a side dish or appetizer. It’s great as a hearty main meal.

Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

This recipe for stuffed eggplant is good for you, filling, and will make even picky eaters happy.

Stuffed Eggplant Ingredients

To make this stuffed eggplant recipe at home that tastes like it came from a diner, you’ll need the following:

• Eggplant: The recipe calls for one eggplant that has been cut in half lengthwise.
• Olive oil: Brush the shells with olive oil and then add salt and pepper to taste.
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and fresh basil are used to season this stuffed eggplant.
• Sausage: This stuffed eggplant is a filling and popular meal because it has sweet Italian sausage in it.
• Pasta sauce: You can buy tomato-basil pasta sauce or make it yourself.
• Bread crumbs: For a nice crunch, panko bread crumbs seasoned with Italian seasoning do the trick.
• Cheese: Grate your own Parmesan cheese instead of using the stuff that’s already been shred for the tastiest results.

How to Make Stuffed Eggplant

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below – but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make stuffed eggplant:

• Take out the meat, brush the shells with oil, and add salt and pepper.
• Cut the eggplant meat you saved into small pieces that you can easily eat.
• In the last bit of oil, cook the sausage, veggies, and garlic.
• Add back the eggplant you set aside, the basil, and the sauce. Add some of the cheese and panko.
• Put the filling inside the shells and then top them with the rest of the cheese and panko.
• Bake the eggplant until it gets soft.

Also see:-Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

How to Store Stuffed Eggplant

It’s best to serve this stuffed eggplant dish right away. If you have extras, though, you can keep them in the fridge for up to three days in a container that won’t let air in.

• 1 (1½ pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

Get the things you need. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with foil. Leave a 1/2-inch line around the edge of the flesh in each half of the eggplant when you cut it with a sharp paring knife. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell behind. Set the meat aside and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the shells, then season them with salt and pepper. Set them aside.In a large, deep pan over medium-high heat, heat the last tablespoon of olive oil.

Put in the garlic, onion, mushrooms, sausage, and stir them around until the meat is brown all over. Add the chopped eggplant and mint that you saved earlier. Bring it to a boil and stir it around for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of panko.

It will take 45 to 50 minutes of baking in a hot oven until the eggplant is soft. Put the filling inside the eggplant shells. Add the rest of the panko and cheese to a small bowl; then, sprinkle it on top of the stuffing.

Test Kitchen Tips

In May 2023, we tried this recipe in our test kitchen and changed it so that it should be baked for 45 minutes. We added 1 cup of chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, and tomato-basil sauce and used less bread crumbs.