Description
Enjoy a comforting and hearty Italian sausage stuffed eggplant recipe. This dish features tender eggplant shells filled with seasoned Italian sausage, cheese, and fresh herbs, baked until golden and bubbly. It’s a perfect crowd-pleasing meal that’s easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium Eggplants
- 4 links Italian Sausage
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Chopped Canned Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Boil a large pot of water.
- Halve the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a ½-inch border to create shells.
- Boil the eggplant shells for 3 minutes, then drain them on paper towels.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the Italian sausage meat to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.
- Stir in the minced garlic and the scooped-out eggplant flesh. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Spread any remaining chopped tomatoes on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Arrange the prepared eggplant shells cut side up on top of the tomatoes.
- Spoon the sausage mixture evenly into the eggplant shells.
- Sprinkle the Pecorino Romano and mozzarella cheese over the filling in each eggplant shell.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese on top is golden brown and bubbly.
- Optional: Drizzle with a little extra olive oil before serving.
Notes
- For a spicier dish, use hot Italian sausage.
- If fresh basil is unavailable, use 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
- Other melting cheeses like provolone or Monterey Jack can be substituted for mozzarella.
- This dish can be made ahead and reheated.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed eggplant half
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg