Stuffed Eggplant

This is another recipe I came up with to use that awesome cheap eggplant I mentioned in the previous post. I looked around for some ideas for the stuffing and then combined a few different recipes in creating this. I think it turned out great, and was a nice variation since most eggplant recipes I find include marinara sauce and pasta.

This stuffing would be great in anything - I liked it on the eggplant, but if you aren't a fan (my husband didn't eat much of his eggplant shell) you could also put it on some large portabellas or in red peppers.



Ingredients

2 small-medium eggplant
1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp white cheddar, but any good melty cheese like mozzarella would also be good)

Directions

1. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in.-thick shell. Set shell aside. Chop pulp.

2. In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage until cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

3. In same skillet, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter to the sausage drippings. Saute eggplant pulp and onion over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn off the heat and add the panko, parsley and salt and pepper. Spoon into eggplant shells.

4.Place on a large baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.