Hi Everyone,

Hope all is well and if you are in the Northeast like me, I hope you are staying safe and warm. It is COLD here.

I am not a big fan of cold weather and that is when I stay in, hibernate and cook.

Today, I was going through the refrigerator and noticed I had all the ingredients for stuffed eggplant, so I decided to make that for lunch.

In the past, I have listed a recipe for “stuffed eggplant boats” but this is just an updated version with a twist on some of the ingredients.

I have added ground sausage meat to the ground beef and added some sundried tomato packed in oil to the mix. These additions really enhance the flavor of this dish.

Give it a try and I hope you enjoy it.

Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:

2 small long eggplants

14 oz. mushrooms (I use a combination of white button, cremini, and oyster) (OPTIONAL)

2 (1 lb.) pkgs. of ground beef or ground turkey OR 1 lb of ground meat and 1 lb of sausage meat.

3-4 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped OR 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes sliced in half

3 or 4 slices of sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped

4 tbsp. grated cheese (I use Locatelli cheese)

6 basil leaves, shredded

Sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp of dried oregano (remember to rub the spice through your fingers when adding to the pan to release the oils).

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Olive oil

Mozzarella cheese, shredded for topping eggplants

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Wash the eggplant, cut them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh. Salt the cavities, put the eggplant in a baking pan, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes (they should be soft but not mushy)

If using – Trim the roots from the mushrooms, wipe the dirt off with a damp cloth, and dice them lengthwise.

Add the mushrooms and the flesh from the eggplant to a food processor and pulse just a few times to make small pieces to fill the eggplant.

Heat ¼ cup olive oil with the garlic. Season the ground meats with salt and pepper. Add the ground meats (beef and sausage) to the oil and sauté until it begins to turn brown.

Add the diced eggplant and diced mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium flame, then increase the heat and add the fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, dried oregano, and basil leaves.

After 5 minutes, turn off the burner, stir in the parsley and grated cheese. Check the seasoning.

Stuff the hollowed-out eggplant with the filling, top with shredded mozzarella and heat them in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Serve them hot or warm

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

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