Meat stuffed eggplants

These meat stuffed eggplants are fantastic. I saw them on a post of the great SmittenKitten blog and I soon felt like doing them. They didn’t disappoint me at al, but the opposite. Now I can’t wait for Friday when I will prepare them again as my daughter is coming home for the weekend.

I feel quite surprised of the so many ways we can cook eggplants. And all of them good. This recipe is inviting and satisfying, even not heavy as I control fats as always.

The original recipe uses sausage meat. I preferred to use pork and veal ground meat. Wonderful taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium eggplants
• 0.7 oz /300 g pork and veal ground meat
• about 2 cups of light tomato sauce or prepare your own using 2 small cans of tomato puree + dried garlic + dried onion + salt + pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion cut thinly
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• basil leaves
• salt
• pepper
• 2 mozzarella (0.44 oz total)
• 2 slices of  bread
• 5 Tbsl grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Turn on the oven 392°F/ 200°C.
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Wash the eggplants, cut the leaves and cut them in halves lenghtwise.
4. With a tea spoon or a melon baller remove the eggplant flesh taking care not to break the skin.
5. Brush the eggplant boats with extra virgin olive oil and place them on the oven tray with the cut part facing up.
6. Bake them until lightly golden. When done, take them out of the oven, leaving the oven on.
7. If you prefer to do your own tomato sauce, put the tomato puree into a pan together with some dried garlic and onion, salt and pepper. Let it cook for about half an hour in medium gas, until thicken.
8. In the meanwhile cut the eggplant flesh in smaller pieces.
9. In a capient pan, put 3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and turn on the gas. Add onion, let it soften and then add garlic.
10. Add the ground meat and let it cook, stirring until colored.
11. Add the eggplnt flesh, salt, pepper and mix it all well. Cook stirring often until eggplant is done and begin to attach to the pan.
12. Add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, some basil leaves, half mozzarella and half grated cheese, mix well and turn off the gas.
13. Take a capient oven dish and spread 1 cup of tomato sauce at the bottom.
14. Place the eggplants halves face up and fill them with the meat mixture abbundantly.
15. Put the bread into the food processor, add a Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and pulse until having breadcrumbs.
16. Distribute the remaining mozzarella and grated cheese over the eggplants and finish with breadcrumbs.
17. Cook them in pre heted oven for about 20 minutes until cheese melts and brown lightly.
18. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
19. Buon appetito!