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Skinny Sausage Parmesan Stuffed Eggplant
4.4 from 15 votes

Skinny Sausage Parmesan Stuffed Eggplant

Skinny Sausage Parmesan Stuffed Eggplant is such a delicious Summer dinner recipe!!!

Prep Time
29 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 59 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 eggplant large
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 1/2 pound chicken sausage ground
  • salt freshly ground
  • black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 onion small red, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper roasted and diced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup parsley freshly chopped leaves
  • 3/4 cup basil leaves freshly chopped
  • 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated, divided
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs whole wheat Italian style
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup marinara sauce
  • 2 Roma tomato diced

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Cut eggplant in half, scoop out the center (leaving just enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked). Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add the scooped-out center part and boil until very soft, about 12 minutes. Drain, pat dry, roughly chop, and set aside.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken sausage to the pan and saute until it browns slightly. Remove from heat, let cool briefly, then chop the cooked sausage with a wooden spatula (or knife…) so that there are no large chunks of meat. Set aside.
  4. In a separate medium-szied sauté pan over medium heat add the remaining olive oil and saute the onions and peppers for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove from heat. Set aside.
  5. In a large bowl mix together the cooked eggplant, the sautéed vegetables, cooked sausage, parsley, basil, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, bread crumbs, and the egg.
  6. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the 2 halves. Place eggplant on prepared pan.
  7. Top with marinara, chopped tomatoes, and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven. After one hour, reduce heat to 300 degrees (F), remove eggplant from oven, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly among the two sides, then return back to the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted.
  8. Let cool briefly, slice, and serve.