Name: Sausage-Stuffed Eggplant
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Ingredients: 1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 0.5 pound bulk Italian sausage; 0.25 teaspoon garlic powder; 0.25 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning; 0.125 teaspoon black pepper; 2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided; 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided; 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs; 1 egg, beaten

Sausage-Stuffed Eggplant

A local winery/restaurant serves a stuffed eggplant appetizer that is so delicious. While trying to duplicate it at home, I found this Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese-stuffed eggplant to be one of our favorite dinners.

1 hr 15 min total 15 min prep 1 hr cook 2 836 cal

Instructions

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1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 Brush cut sides of eggplant with olive oil; place, cut-sides up, onto a baking sheet.
3 Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then allow to cool slightly. Keep the oven on.
4 Meanwhile, brown Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain off grease. Transfer sausage to a mixing bowl; season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, and egg; mix well.
5 Scoop out flesh of roasted eggplant, once cooled, to within 1/2-inch of the skin to create a shell. Roughly chop eggplant flesh; fold into sausage mixture. Divide evenly among two eggplant shells; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
6 Bake in the preheated oven until the filling has set and the cheese is bubbly and golden-brown, about 30 minutes. While the eggplant is baking, warm the remaining 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat to serve with the eggplant.