Breaded Stuffed Eggplant

Ok, so I have been toying with this idea for a month or so. I was watching a TV show on cooking in Palestine and one of the chefs made a traditional dish, stuffing eggplant. Well, naturally, I loved the idea. Vegetables+Meat = Win. So I decided to try making up a version of this dish.

 

 

 

Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 of a large Spanish Onion, Sliced

1 (28 oz) of  can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup packed fresh basil

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

Dash of Salt

 

Ingredients for Stuffing:

2.5 lbs of ground beef

1/4 of a large Spanish Onion, finely diced

1/4 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs

1 tablespoon (packed) of fresh parsley, chopped finely

1 teaspoon of chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of ginger

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 large eggs

 

Ingredients For Dish:

2 large eggplants (See picture for how to slice eggplant)

Italian Bread Crumbs

2 large eggs, beaten

Olive oil

Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Dried Basil

Garlic powder

 

Directions Set Up:

1. Sauce: Saute Onions with garlic until onions start to turn slightly golden. Transfer to a blender with remaining ingredients (except bay leaf) and chop (You want a chunky sauce). Return sauce to pot and add bay leaf. Let sauce simmer (Make sure you have a splatter guard) for about 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
2. Stuffing: Combine all ingredients and mix until blended

Cutting the Eggplant:

Cut thick slices of eggplant. In the center of each  slice, make another cut, not cutting all the way through the slice. You will end up with one thick piece of eggplant that is like a sandwich.

Directions For Dish:

1. Make a small patty out of the stuffing mix and place it in between Eggplant slices.
2. Dredge Eggplant with stuffing into egg mixture and then roll it into the bread crumbs
3. On a frying pant, heat olive oil and brown both sides of the eggplant
4. Place each browned eggplant in an oven safe baking dish. Cover with Sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella, Basil and Garlic powder
5. In a 425 F oven, bake for 20 minutes or until the meat and eggplant is cooked through.