Stuffed Eggplant

This is soooo good.  The stuffing is killer.  Thanks, Michael's Mom!  I'm thinking the stuffing would be good in giant portobellos, or even bell peppers, too.

I would highly recommend baking the empty eggplant "shells" for a little bit before adding the stuffing, and then continuing to bake once they're stuffed.  The first time I made this following the original recipe, I stuffed the raw eggplant "shells" and they were not quite cooked through when the stuffing was done.  Also, I mixed the chopped tomatoes directly into the meat mixture instead of piling them on top.  YUM!


Stuffed Eggplant
Taken from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 smallish (5" - 6") eggplants
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pound ground sirloin
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 additional tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the eggplant tops and cut each eggplant in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out some of the inside center flesh, leaving a 1/4" shell.  Place the shells, skin side down, on a baking sheet misted with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside.  In the meantime, place the scooped out flesh in a microwave-safe bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and microwave on high for 2 minutes until soft.
• In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the onion until translucent.  Add the ground sirloin, salt and pepper to taste, and minced garlic.  Brown the beef, then drain the fat and transfer the beef to a mixing bowl.
• Add the microwaved eggplant flesh and the rest of the ingredients (except for the two additional tablespoons of Parmesan) to the bowl and combine with the meat.
• Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts and spoon into each of the partly-baked eggplant "shells".
• Place the stuffed eggplants back into the oven and bake for another 45 minutes.
• When done, sprinkle the tops with the remaining Parmesan cheese and place back into the oven for a minute until the cheese melts.