This Food Network recipe for
Mom's Stuffed Eggplant is courtesy of
Michael Chiarello. A plethora of ingredients including boiled eggplant, seasoned ground beef, a blend of sauteed peppers and onions with garlic and fresh herbs combined with egg, breadcrumbs and pecorino romano cheese are stuffed into an eggplant shell and baked at 350* for just under an hour. The recipe yields one of the most flavorful, hearty, comforting winter meals. I highly recommend you try it out. It can easily be doubled or tripled, therefore it works well for entertaining. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who can eat an entire eggplant half, (it's hearty, like I said.) But I'll eat my words if you make this and beg to differ. I find the below recipe easily serves two, with leftovers to spare. Who doesn't love leftovers?
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant - (that's a seriously large one, pictured with me above.)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 pound ground beef - (I might have gone with 3/4 - give or take)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion, small diced
- 1 red pepper, small diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, divided
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 chopped tomatoes (Adam dislikes tomato, but it is easy to leave out of his half.)
There is a good amount of prep work that goes into the ingredients list. Simple prep work though, made much easier by the new additions to my kitchen - the extra large round cutting board (Thanks Leah!) and my J.A. Henckles stainless steel 7" bladed knife (Thanks Mom!)
Chopping the Parsley, followed by the Basil.
A beautiful red pepper to be chopped next, followed by the onion.
Adam helped by scooping out the Eggplant. You want to cut it in half lengthwise and delicately remove the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked.
Then boil the scooped out center part until very soft, about 10 - 12 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and saute until the beef begins to brown slightly. Drain the beef, removing the fat. Let cool briefly and set aside to combine with the eggplant.
In another medium pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the peppers, onions and garlic.
This can all happen simultaneously.
Once the stove top tasks are completed, in the large bowl mix together the eggplant, cooked beef, sauteed vegetables, herbs, one cup of the cheese, breadcrumbs and the egg.
Fill the scooped out eggplant halves with mixture, dividing evenly among two halves.
Top with chopped tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish and bake for 50 minutes in 350* preheated oven.
While it baked I enjoyed a beer or two, watched some football and did the dishes.
Dale's Rocky Mountain Pale Ale from Colorado is an assertive ale with balanced flavors of pale malt and hops. The aroma of the stuffed eggplants baking away wafted through the apartment.
The heaping amounts of fresh basil and parsley, as well the onions, pepper and garlic lend an unbelievable flavor to the tender eggplant and hearty beef laced with melted cheese and breadcrumbs.
The seeds of the eggplant add an enjoyable crunch, their value not realized initially as the dish was being prepared. The warm watery tomatoes strike a pleasant balance texturally.
I'm not sure why my cheese on top maintained its form instead of melting into the dish, but it wasn't a deal breaker. All the cheese loaded into the baked ingredients proves an immensely satisfying and comforting dish. With the snow falling softly outside, an exciting Jets vs. Colts game on TV, and the company of friends, it couldn't have been a more relaxing Saturday night in.
Ingredients:
There is a good amount of prep work that goes into the ingredients list. Simple prep work though, made much easier by the new additions to my kitchen - the extra large round cutting board (Thanks Leah!) and my J.A. Henckles stainless steel 7" bladed knife (Thanks Mom!)
Chopping the Parsley, followed by the Basil. 
A beautiful red pepper to be chopped next, followed by the onion. 
Adam helped by scooping out the Eggplant. You want to cut it in half lengthwise and delicately remove the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. 
Then boil the scooped out center part until very soft, about 10 - 12 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and saute until the beef begins to brown slightly. Drain the beef, removing the fat. Let cool briefly and set aside to combine with the eggplant.
In another medium pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the peppers, onions and garlic. 
This can all happen simultaneously. 
Once the stove top tasks are completed, in the large bowl mix together the eggplant, cooked beef, sauteed vegetables, herbs, one cup of the cheese, breadcrumbs and the egg. 
Fill the scooped out eggplant halves with mixture, dividing evenly among two halves. 
Top with chopped tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish and bake for 50 minutes in 350* preheated oven.
While it baked I enjoyed a beer or two, watched some football and did the dishes. 
Dale's Rocky Mountain Pale Ale from Colorado is an assertive ale with balanced flavors of pale malt and hops. The aroma of the stuffed eggplants baking away wafted through the apartment. 
The heaping amounts of fresh basil and parsley, as well the onions, pepper and garlic lend an unbelievable flavor to the tender eggplant and hearty beef laced with melted cheese and breadcrumbs.
The seeds of the eggplant add an enjoyable crunch, their value not realized initially as the dish was being prepared. The warm watery tomatoes strike a pleasant balance texturally. 
I'm not sure why my cheese on top maintained its form instead of melting into the dish, but it wasn't a deal breaker. All the cheese loaded into the baked ingredients proves an immensely satisfying and comforting dish. With the snow falling softly outside, an exciting Jets vs. Colts game on TV, and the company of friends, it couldn't have been a more relaxing Saturday night in.
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