Egg Plant Parmesan Boats - Home Cooking

  

With all of the stuffing that has been going on with the stuffed zucchini and stuffed spaghetti squash it was time that eggplant got stuffed and what better way to start than with stuffed eggplant parmesan! It seemed only natural to stuff eggplant with the flavours of a dish that eggplant is normally used in and thiseggplant parmesan boat recipe, adapted from Skinny Taste, is super easy to make and packed with flavour. 

You pretty much just need to hollow out the eggplant, roast it, cook the sausage along with the eggplant that was scooped out before adding the marinara sauce, stuffing the eggplant, topping it with cheese and baking it until the cheese melts. Stuffing vegetables is always fun and this stuffed eggplant parmesan is a new favourite! I can't wait to see what else I can stuff eggplant with!

The assembly in action!

Oh Yum! Just look at all of that eggplant parmesan with sausage and marinara spilling out!

Eggplant Parmesan Boats

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4

Eggplant parmesan served stuffing in an eggplant with tasty Italian sausage!

ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants (~6 inches in length), cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
• basil for garnish

directions

1. Scoop the middle of the eggplant out leaving about 1/2 inch around the sides and chop and reserve the scooped out eggplant.
2. Brush the inside of the eggplant shells with oil and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven, with the inside facing up, until just tender, about 10-15 minutes, before setting aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausage and onion in a pan over medium heat, breaking the sausage up as you go, until the sausage is cooked, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the chopped reserved eggplant and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
6. Add 1 cup of the marinara sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook to heat, about 3-5 minutes, before removing from heat.
7. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the bottom of a baking dish, place the eggplant shells in with the fleshy hollowed out sides up, fill them with the sauce, top with the cheeses and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 10-15 minutes, before serving garnished with fresh basil.

Tip: Cut cross hatches into the eggplant and cut 1/4 inch around the outside to make scooping out the inside easier.
Tip: If the eggplant shells won't stand upright, cut a small slice from the bottom to give them a small flat area to stabilize them.
Note: You can skip pre-baking the eggplant shells and fill the raw eggplant with the sauce and bake at 350F, covered in foil, until the eggplant shells are tender and the cheese has melted but this will require about 40-50 minutes of baking time.
Option: Omit the sausage for vegetarian version.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 442, Fat 29g (Saturated 11g, Trans 0),Cholesterol 72mg, Sodium 1261mg, Carbs 24g (Fiber 9g, Sugars 12g),Protein 20g