Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

Based on Deb Perelman's recipe in Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

Makes

  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 pound ground sausage meat (I use mild Italian pork or chicken)
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato marinara sauce, prepared (use your favorite brand or the recipe in Notes)
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 2 tablespoons panko-style breadcrumbs
  • 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated, divided
  • 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan, divided
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

prepare the eggplant

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Use a paring knife to outline a 1/2-inch border all around the eggplant half, then use a spoon or melon baller to remove the eggplant flesh, being sure not to cut through the bottom as you create boats out of the eggplant halves.
  3. Rub each half with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange halves cut sides up in a lasagna pan, 9×13-inch baking dish, or 3-quart casserole dish.
  5. Roast until eggplant is tender and browned at edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make the filling

  1. While the eggplant roasts, prepare the filling. Chop the scooped-out eggplant flesh into about 1/2-inch chunks and set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Once hot, add onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until translucent.
  4. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  5. Add sausage meat and use your spoon to break it up and cook it just until no longer pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Add chopped eggplant, season the mixture well with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring as needed, until eggplant is soft and wants to stick to the pan, about 7 minutes.
  7. Add 1/2 cup of prepared marinara sauce and a bit of the basil and warm through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  8. Remove from heat and mix in half the mozzarella and parmesan.

Assemble and finish

  1. When eggplant boats are soft, remove them briefly from their dish and pour remaining 1 cup prepared marinara sauce in the bottom and stir remaining basil into it.
  2. Arrange eggplant boats back in dish and stuff them with as much filling as you can (you’ll probably have a little extra which can be baked in a smaller dish).
  3. Sprinkle stuffed eggplants with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil and pinch of salt over the breadcrumbs and stir to evenly coat the crumbs, then sprinkle them over the cheese.
  4. Bake stuffed eggplants for 10 minutes, just to marry the flavors, and then run under your broiler until brown and blistered on top, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how robust your oven is.
  5. Serve: Let eggplant rest for 5 minutes before serving, spooning some extra sauce from the pan over each.