Baked Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan
For a fun and tasty way to enjoy eggplant, try stuffed eggplant parmesan! The eggplants are stuffed with ground beef, topped with plenty of mozzarella cheese, and baked in the oven until browned and gooey. Gluten-free.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 small eggplants, 7-9 oz each
- kosher salt and olive oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion, about 1/2 of a medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 4 cups marinara sauce, homemade or store bought, divided
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, low moisture
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch on the sides in the shell. Chop up the scooped out eggplant and set it aside.
- Liberally salt the insides of each eggplant shell with kosher salt. Then rub them with olive oil so you have a sheen of olive oil on the insides. Bake the eggplants upright for 30-35 minutes. The eggplants will be very soft and browned.
- While the eggplants are cooking, make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it's shimmering, add the ground beef and saute until it has begun to lose its red color, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle some kosher salt over the skillet. Saute until the eggplant is soft and tender, 6-7 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the marinara sauce and about half of the sliced basil.
- Take the eggplants out of the oven and transfer them to a plate for the moment. Spread out about 2 cups of the marinara on the bottom of the baking dish and then put the eggplant shells back in.
- Mix together the cheeses. Divide the filling among each of the eggplant shells. Then top each with some of cheese. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Top with the rest of the sliced basil.
- Serve with the pasta of your choice. Toss the pasta with the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce.
Notes
- Depending on how much pasta you serve and how hungry everyone is, this recipe can serve anywhere from 4 to 8 people.
- Don't be afraid to get the eggplant shells fairly brown. Thinner areas around the walls will get quite brown by the time they are done.
- I used 'pizza cheese' mozzarella, the low moisture type.
- You can substitute in sweet Italian sausage for the ground beef if you wish.
- Don't cut off the tops off the eggplants. The stem makes for a nice presentation at the table and keeps the eggplants from completely falling apart when you bake them.
- I used my Marinara Sauce in the recipe.