Italian Stuffed Eggplants Recipe
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caNothing goes to waste with Italian Stuffed Eggplants and they are perfect when you have an excess of eggplants you don't know what to do with.The summer always yields eggplant and zucchini overload from the garden. That's what makes this Italian Stuffed Eggplants recipe so popular. Stuffed eggplants taste great, are healthy and so easy to make.If you like dishes using vegetables, try one of these: Eggplant Parmesan, Air Fried Eggplant Slices, Zucchini Fries, Zucchini Patties, Eggplant and Zucchini Sauté, Other Eggplant and Zucchini Dishes.
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Ingredients
Homemade Sauce:
- 16½ oz tomato puree
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 fresh basil leaves
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
Eggplant and Stuffing
- 40 ounces Eggplant 4 medium sized eggplants
- ¾ cup Bread Crumbs
- 1½ cup milk
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
Instructions
Sauce (omit if you using store bought)
- Puree 3 to 4 medium sized tomatoes or use canned tomato puree. Fry garlic in a saucepan with olive oil until fragrant and add the tomato, salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste and herbs, stir. Bring to boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Set aside.
Eggplant Stuffing
- Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes. Mix with ground beef, egg, grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and egg. If using seasoned breadcrumbs omit adding salt and pepper.
- Set aside as you will also be adding the cubed eggplant to this mixture.
Preparing Eggplant Shells and Pulp
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large saucepan, boil 2 litres of water with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Prepare eggplant by cutting in half and then cutting around the edge. Pry out the insides with your hand or a spoon being careful not to rip the skin.
- Set the shells in one pile and chop the pulp up into small cubes and place in a bowl.
- Once the water has come to a boil, place the shells in the pot and boil for 1 minute, remove and set aside.
- Boil the cubed eggplant pulp for 1 minute, drain and let cool in the colander. Once cool, squeeze to remove any excess water.
- Add the pulp to the eggplant stuffing and mix.
- Prepare a roasting pan large enough to hold the eggplant and by layering sauce and 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom.
- Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in the roasting pan.
- Make meatballs with any leftover stuffing.
- Top with the tomato sauce and some more grated parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for approximately 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let site for 10 minutes before serving as stuffing will be hot.
Notes
Top Tips
Technically there are three parts to this recipe. You can cut down on the prep time by buying pre-made sauce. If making your own sauce, do that first. Then make your meat mixture (stuffing), and then prepare your eggplant shells adding the eggplant pulp to your stuffing at the end before you stuff the eggplant. The boiled diced eggplant will retain a lot of water which will make it difficult for the stuffing to bind. Once you have par boiled the diced eggplant, drain it and let it cool down before you pick them up to squeeze excess water out of them. Be careful not to burn yourself.Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 707kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 36gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 899mgPotassium: 1800mgFiber: 12gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 1168IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 379mgIron: 7mg
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