Italian Baked Stuffed Eggplant
Italian Baked Stuffed Eggplant is a hearty, comforting dish made with tender eggplant filled with a savory Italian-style mixture and baked until golden and delicious. It’s an easy meatless dinner that brings simple Mediterranean flavors to the table.
Ingredients
- 4 small eggplant
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 small chopped onion
- 2 Italian sausage links casings removed
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 400- degrees
- start by cleaning the eggplant. Then cut in half with a paring knife remove the flesh from the eggplant being sure to not to cut through the skin. Then drizzle with half the olive oil. salt and pepper to taste.
- Pre bake the eggplant shells in a preheated 400- degree oven for 12-15 minutes. or until softened.
- In the mean time prepare the filling. In a large saute pan in the remaining olive oil cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Then add in the sausage and cook until brown. Breaking it up as you go.
- Remove from the fire and mix in the cooked rice, egg, half of the grated parmesan , one cup of the marinara, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Divide the filling among the prebaked eggplant shells top each one with the remaining marinara , grated parmesan and the shredded mozzarella.
- Re bake the filled eggplant for an additional 15 minutes. Turning on the broiler the last 5 minutes. Top with additional fresh Italian parsley.
Notes
Choose eggplants that feel firm and heavy for their size. If you're using larger eggplants, you can lightly salt the cut side and let them sit for about 15 minutes before patting them dry. This helps remove excess moisture before baking.