Stuffed Eggplant Italiano Recipes

ITALIAN-STYLE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon and/or paring knife, scoop out the eggplant flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Set the flesh aside.
• Place the eggplant shells on a baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil over the shells. Bake 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the eggplant flesh. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped eggplant, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Fill the eggplant shells with the tomato mixture. Spoon mounds of ricotta over each filled eggplant shell. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake about 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with basil.

STUFFED EGGPLANT ITALIANO

Steps:

• 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise.
• 2. Carefully scoop out the flesh, reserving shell. Coarsely chop scooped out eggplant into bite-size pieces.
• 3. Place a 12" non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and saute eggplant, green pepper, and onion in olive oil for 10-12 minutes or until onion becomes transparent. (You may have to add more olive oil or vegetable oil while sauteeing.)
• 4. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the eggplant mixture and stir to combine.
• 5. Add the beaten egg, torn bread, and Italian seasoning to the skillet and stir quickly to combine ingredients and to prevent the egg from "scrambling". Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly.
• 6. Transfer mixture to reserved eggplant shells.
• 7. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• 8. Place stuffed shells in a baking dish.
• 9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves 6-8 (depending on the size of eggplant).

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• In a large saute pan heat oil add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add reserved chopped eggplant flesh, zucchini and red bell peppers - cook until softened. Add rice. Add white wine cook until wine has evaporated. Add tomatoes, tomato juice and simmer for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened and rice is starting to soften. Remove pan from heat and stir in bulgur, anchovies, olives, capers, pine nuts, oregano, thyme, mint and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Stuff eggplant halves loosely with mixture and arrange on a lightly oiled roasting pan. Top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and Parmesan and bake for 1 hour or until eggplant and breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve lukewarm.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant, chop, and reserve. Season shells with salt and pepper, and coat with some olive oil; set aside.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute sausage and garlic until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in the reserved chopped eggplant. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Pour in wine, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. If mixture is dry, stir in more olive oil. Stuff mixture into eggplant shells, and sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

SICILIAN STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Run a small sharp knife 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cut side of each eggplant. Scoop out the insides of the eggplants with a spoon and reserve, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons salt into the eggplant shells and invert on paper towels while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Coarsely chop the reserved eggplant. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chopped eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients with the remaining salt. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Mound the filling in each shell. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the edges of the eggplant are tender and the bread crumbs are very lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

STUFFED ITALIAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, then finely chop. Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with reserved juice, water, tomato paste, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in basil.
• Boil eggplants and make filling while sauce simmers:
• Bring a 5- to 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil over moderately high heat.
• Prick eggplants all over with a fork. Boil eggplants, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain and discard cooking water. When eggplants are cool enough to handle (after about 15 minutes), halve eggplants lengthwise through stem (keep stem attached). With a small sharp knife, scoop out and reserve flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Very finely chop flesh and transfer to a large bowl.
• Bring rice and water to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, then reduce heat and simmer rice, covered, until water has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and add to chopped eggplant.
• While rice cooks, combine bread and milk in a small bowl and let stand until bread has absorbed milk, then gently squeeze bread, discarding any milk.
• Add bread to rice mixture along with garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine well.
• Sprinkle inside of eggplant shells with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Firmly pack a scant 1/3-cup eggplant stuffing into each eggplant shell. (You may have some stuffing left over.)
• Fry and bake eggplants:
• Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Heat 1 inch vegetable oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or other deep heavy skillet over moderate heat until thermometer reaches 320°F and add 2 eggplant halves, stuffing sides up. Fry, turning over once using 2 slotted spoons, until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes total. Transfer, stuffing sides up, to paper towels to drain, then fry remaining eggplants, 2 halves at a time, in same manner, returning oil to 320°F between batches.
• Spoon sauce into a 3-quart (about 13- by 9-inch) nonreactive baking dish. Add eggplants, stuffing sides up, and bake, covered with foil, until sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

STUFFED EGGPLANT ITALIANO

Steps:

• 1. Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise. Place halves, cut-side down, in shallow baking pan. 2. Bake at 350°F about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool slightly. Scoop out pulp, leaving 3/8-inch shell. Place shells, cut-side up, in baking pan. Coarsely chop pulp. Combine with remaining ingredients except Mozzarella cheese. Fill eggplant shells, pressing firmly. Cover with foil. Pierce foil in several places to allow steam to escape.3. Bake about 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove foil and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered about 2 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Cut each half into 2 pieces to serve. MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:1. Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise. Scoop out raw pulp, leaving 3/8-inch shell. Place shells, cut-side up, in shallow glass baking dish. Set aside. 2. Coarsely chop pulp. Combine with remaining ingredients except Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses in glass mixing bowl. Cover loosely.3. Microwave at HIGH 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Fill eggplant shells with vegetable mixture, pressing lightly. Cover loosely. Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes or until eggplant shell is tender. Remove cover. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until cheese melts.Microwave cooking times may vary.

MAMA CHIARELLO'S STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Chop eggplant that has been scooped out of the inside; place in saucepan, cover with water and boil until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper the beef. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan, and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Let cool briefly, and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onion, pepper and garlic together in the oil.
• In a bowl, mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and the egg. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly between the two halves.
• Top with chopped tomatoes, the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool briefly; slice widthwise and serve.

VEGETARIAN ITALIAN STUFFED ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Wash and pierce each eggplant 3 or 4 times.
• Roast eggplant for 45 minutes to an hour turning a few times.
• Meanwhile heat oil in large fry pan, add onion and green pepper. Sauté 20 to 25 minutes or until soft.
• Add garlic and oregano.
• Once roasted eggplant is cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out pulp leaving the shell intact. Place shells in large baking dish.
• Chop eggplant and add to onion mixture.
• Add tomato sauce, salt and oregano.
• Add frozen soy crumbles and heat through.
• Add 3/4 cup of cheese and mix well.
• Fill eggplant shells with mixture.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly.