I absolutely love this modern twist on traditional eggplant parmesan! Halved, plump eggplants roasted until tender and topped with your favorite marinara sauce, creamy, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and crispy breadcrumbs. Next, you bake the stuffed eggplant again until the cheese is ooey gooey and the breadcrumbs crunchy. Although the taste of this updated classic is the same, its presentation is as charming as ever.
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Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
- 2 small eggplants, halved lengthwise
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups marinara sauce, store bought or homemade
- (12) ¼-inch rounds of fresh mozzarella cheese (3 for each half of eggplant)
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out a small amount of each eggplants’ cavity to make a pocket to hold some of the marinara sauce. (Not too much, you don’t want to go through the eggplant skin, just make a pocket!) Drizzle each prepped eggplant half with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until tender.
- In the meantime, heat up your marinara sauce in a medium saucepan. Fill the cavity of each halved, roasted eggplant with a large spoonful of the heated marinara sauce. Top the filled eggplant with 3 rounds of mozzarella cheese, then some of the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake again for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle each eggplant half with some of the fresh basil, and another spoonful of marinara sauce, if desired. Serve warm.
Tagged: eggplant, eggplant parmesan, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, Italian, Italy, marinara sauce, mozzarella, panko breadcrumbs, stuffed eggplant parmesan, vegetarian
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