Baked Stuffed Eggplant
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large eggplants
- ¼pound butter
- 1pound ground lamb
- 2medium onions, chopped
- 1green pepper, chopped
- 1teaspoon paprika
- 1teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- ½teaspoon cinnamon (or more, to taste)
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 116-ounce can tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
- ½cup hot water
Nutritional analysis per serving (5 servings)
529 calories; 41 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 660 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Remove stems and cut the eggplants in quarters lengthwise. Soak them in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and dry.
- Step 2
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and brown the cut sides of the eggplant pieces. Use more butter, as needed. Place the eggplant pieces, skin side down, in a suitable baking dish and make a deep slit down the center of each piece to form a pocket for stuffing.
- Step 3
Add 4 tablespoons butter to the skillet and brown the lamb in it, stirring constantly. Add the onions, green pepper, paprika, salt, black pepper, cinnamon and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Step 4
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 5
Divide the lamb mixture into eight portions and stuff it into the pockets of the eggplant pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half and drape the pieces over the stuffing in the eggplant pieces. Pour the water carefully around the eggplant pieces, cover and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and place under the broiler 5 minutes, or until nicely browned but not blackened. Serve with pilaf.
Private Notes
Comments
What are reserved tomato juices for? I used them to cook with the meat in step 3. I used pork instead of lamb, added one large diced garlic clove and used diced carrots in place of green pepper. Also spiced it up a bit with extra paprika, dash of harissa and pinch of red pepper flakes. Tossed in some cooked rice with filling as well. Topped off with grated parm prior to serving. Absolutely fantastic and really not all that complicated - a keeper.
I would love to substitute something like ground pork for the lamb. Has anyone tried any other substitutes?
I grind leftover pork roasts in my food processor and use it to stuff eggplants seasoned like this. It works just fine.