This Stuffed Eggplant recipe comes from my dear grandma, who passed away when I was eleven. That woman, if she put out a cookbook today, it would be a best seller! There was only one problem with her cooking: she never wrote down her recipes!! My mom told me that she would chase my grandma around the kitchen, trying to write down what she was doing. “How much salt was that??” my mom would ask. “I don’t know, a dash!” my grandma would respond. So in a way, all this amazing cooking was sort of lost.
So this Stuffed Eggplant recipe is loosely based on how she made it. But you’ll love it just the same. Lots of spicy sausage stuffed into tender eggplant, smothered with her famous homemade sauce and topped with cheese, it’s a savory and filling meal that everyone will love! Even if you don’t think you’re an eggplant fan, you will like this!
WHAT DOES EGGPLANT TASTE LIKE?
I love eggplant, I really do. But I understand how it can be intimidating to eat and cook with. Eggplant tastes sort of like zucchini, mild and somewhat bland until you pair it with other ingredients. It’s not the kind of thing you’d eat raw because it can taste a bit bitter with a spongy texture. Once cooked though, the taste becomes more mild. Eggplant is super good for you, though! High in fiber, low in calories, it can be used as a substitute for meat or pasta.
HOW TO COOK EGGPLANT
There are several ways to cook eggplant: you can boil, grill, sautee or broil it. I’m going to show you how it works best for this stuffed eggplant recipe:
- Start by cutting an eggplant in half, and gutting it.
- Blanch the eggplant for about four minutes in boiling water.
- Drain, chop the innards, and combine them with meat, egg, and breadcrumbs.
- While the eggplant is baking, make some sauce. Of course you could top this with jarred sauce, but the homemade sauce is super easy and I feel like it is what really makes it taste like lunch at grandmas.
- Take the eggplant out of the oven, top with the sauce and put it all back in the oven for 10 minutes.
MORE EGGPLANT RECIPES
Once you start cooking with eggplant, you’ll find there are so many delicious recipes to choose from! Try some of my very favorite ways to prepare eggplant. You won’t believe how flavorful and simple these are to make!
Pair this stuffed eggplant with a simple green salad and some pasta and you have an absolutely delicious lunch or dinner. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe. Please leave a comment below and enjoy my grandma’s stuffed eggplant recipe!
Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants see note
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon table salt)
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage (453.6 grams)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (112 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (3/4 teaspoon table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce Recipe
- 28 ounces whole tomatoes undrained (794 grams)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the salt and then add in the eggplant pulp and shells. Boil for 5 minutes. Please note that the eggplant will float, so it works best to add the pulp first and then the shells.2 large eggplants, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- After boiling, gently transfer the eggplant to a bowl filled with ice and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Gently squeeze the eggplant pulp to rid it of excess water, then dice it. Note that the eggplant will be delicate, be careful as you handle it so it doesn't tear.
- In a large bowl, combine the uncooked sausage, breadcrumbs, eggs, diced eggplant, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.1 pound hot Italian sausage, 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 4 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Fill the eggplants with the mixture, place them into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the eggplant cooks, make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.28 ounces whole tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Bring the sauce to a boil. Using a potato ricer, mash up the tomatoes. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer while the eggplant finishes cooking.
- After 30 minutes, top the eggplant with the sauce, and put it all back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with freshly minced parsley and enjoy.
Notes
did you make this
Stuffed Eggplant
Eli@coachdaddy says
I love that you found this recipe, and that it can live on now. We as sons and daughters of cooks have to remember, too, that our kids are going to want to know how we make their favorites. We have to trust ourselves and our ability to create, just as our parents did.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I always forget how much I love eggplant!! Love this. And the family photos!
heather @french press says
grandma recipes are the best! such great family photos Lisa
Kirsten says
Lisa,
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve added it to the Farm Fresh Feasts Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me who love to eat from the farm share.
I appreciate your help in making this index better!
Thanks Kirsten!
Ruth Leather says
I can’t wait to make this recipe for my 95 year old eggplant loving mother-in-law! Thank you for sharing this recipe that is near and dear to your heart.
I hope she absolutely loves it!