Baked Eggplant with Savory Cheese Stuffing
Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Eggplant makes a satisfying vegetarian dinner when stuffed with tomato and peppers and served with rice. Feta cheese adds tang and body to the stuffing.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°.
Step 2
Score cut side of each eggplant half by making 4 crosswise cuts. Place the eggplant halves, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven; cool on pan 10 minutes. Carefully remove pulp, leaving a 1/3-inch-thick shell; reserve eggplant shells. Chop pulp.
Step 3
Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
Step 4
Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Drizzle the breadcrumbs with olive oil, and pulse to combine.
Step 5
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, oregano, and garlic; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Stuff each eggplant shell with about 1/2 cup onion mixture; sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated and lightly browned.
smithker's Review
Made this for dinner tonight and it was yummy. Shockingly my meat loving hubby loved it. Simple to make, but probably a weekend meal due to cook time. Or make the night before and add bread crumbs and bake when ready to eat. I used whole wheat bread crumbs and fat free feta. My husband suggested the addition of red pepper flakes next time. I agree that the stuffing might benefit from rice or quinoa being mixed in rather than served on the side. We'll be making this again.
lwright311's Review
I am not sure what it was about this recipe I didnt lik. I know the texture was wrong for me and it seemed like a lot of work for a just okay dish.
stimply's Review
I've tried cooking with eggplant about 5 previous times and this is the first time the outcome was edible. This was even more than that: it was yummy. Changes: I used gorgonzola instead of feta; used panko breadcrumbs and mixed in a little olive oil; broiled at the end to brown the bread crumbs. I really enjoyed this and would consider other variations like adding some spinach and mushrooms and perhaps some quinoa or rice into the mixture. The texture of the stuffing could use some variation.
Colek3's Review
This recipe gave me an idea what to do with a bunch of eggplant I had lying around. I used quinoa instead of rice, threw in asparagus and machego instead of feta, cayenne and paprika for bite.
megrw82's Review
I thought it was just ok. My husband just called it mush. The filling was the part that I liked and had potential.
luckyb65's Review
I did not have a red bell pepper so subbed a jalapeño pepper and two orange mini peppers. Decided to use parmesan instead feta. Also used panko and just sprinkled over the top then sprayed olive oil over the eggplant before placing in oven. Delish!
DWheeler's Review
I really enjoyed this recipe. I followed everything except added mushrooms to the filling and topped with panko instead of bread crumbs. Very filling!
mandyemel's Review
This was really good - I added a bit of fresh parmesan, but otherwise made it as-is. I'd add some ground turkey for the meat-loving crowd.
cjontig's Review
Great vegetarian option that is filling. If you want to make it delicious to everyone, try adding some chopped chicken to the mixture.
Abetterpie's Review