Description
A local winery/restaurant serves a stuffed eggplant appetizer that is so delicious. While trying to duplicate it at home, I found this to be one of our favorite eggplant dinners. Be sure to select an eggplant that is smooth, blemish-free and kind of heavy for it’s size. Serve with a green salad.
Ingredients
- 1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound bulk Italian sausage
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Brush cut sides of eggplant with olive oil and place
- cut-side up onto a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes
- then remove and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile
- brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain off the grease. Place into a mixing bowl
- and season with garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
- and the beaten egg; mix well.
- Once the roasted eggplant has cooled enough to handle
- scoop out the flesh to within 1/2-inch of the skin to create a shell. Roughly chop the eggplant meat
- and fold into the sausage mixture. Divide evenly among the two eggplant shells
- and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven until the filling has set
- and the cheese is bubbly and golden-brown
- about 30 minutes. While the eggplant is baking
- warm the remaining spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat to serve with the eggplant.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 2