Stuffed Eggplant

Everything You Will Need:

1 eggplant (1 to 11/4 pounds)
1 cup of onion (chopped)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of crushed or chopped garlic
1/2 pound of Papa Cantella's fresh Italian sausage
(removed from the casings)
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
2 cups of fresh, ripe tomatoes
(peeled, seeded & chopped)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil (chopped)
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste


Wash the eggplant, and cut it in half lengthwise.

With a spoon, carve out part of the interior of each half while removing seeds, leaving a neat cavity for the filling.

Rinse the eggplant shell with water.

Sprinkle the insides of the eggplant halves with salt, turn them upside down, and let them stand for about one hour on a rack (to allow for breathing).

In a medium-sized frying pan cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat for about three minutes.

Add the sausage and ground beef.

Cook for about four to five minutes more, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to mix the meat.

Mix in the tomatoes, basil and parsley.

Cook for two or three more minutes.

Turn off the heat, and when cool enough to handle, thoroughly mix in the breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Fill the eggplant halves with the filling, and put them in a shallow glass baking dish. (It may be necessary to touch the sides of the halves together to keep them propped up and level).

Add about one-half inch of water into baking dish.

Bake the halves for forty-five minutes at 350 degrees.


Carefully pull out the oven rack and sprinkle on the Mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about another ten minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Remove the eggplant halves from the pan, and serve hot.

(As an alternative, zucchini (small Italian squashes) may be used. They will require the same treatment and cooking time, however the mixture listed here will fill about eight zucchini).
Serves 4

For futher information go to:
www.PapaCantella.com or www.DougMotz.com