CHEESY MUSHROOM & SAUSAGE STUFFED EGGPLANT
A delicious hearty meal that comes together in under 30 minutes and hits all the right spots. It’s juicy, packed with veggies, meaty, melty, yet when you break down the ingredients, it’s actually quite nutritious.
It needs about an hour to get nice and tender, that way all the element meld together, leaving you with a silky, saucy, beautiful dish.
Pairs perfectly w some fresh rocket and buttery sourdough.
Ingredients
Method
Equipment: Large frypan, large tall edges baking tray.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a large tall edged baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut the eggplants in half, lengthways. Use a spoon to scoop out 70% of the flesh. Roughly chop the eggplant flesh you just removed and set it aside.
Generously salt the eggplant halves, rubbing salt all over them. Rest them upside down in the baking tray while you make the filling (this will help them tenderize in the oven).
For the filling
Place a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is sizzling, add a drizzle of olive oil followed by the skinned sausages, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the onion and 3/4s of the garlic, continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Once the onion is translucent, add the mushroom, zucchini and eggplant flesh. Stir to combine and continue cooking for 5 minutes or so.
Add half the tomato polpa, tomato paste, vegetable stock, paprika and dried oregano. Crack some salt and pepper in there and allow to simmer for another few minutes.
To assemble
Flip the eggplants with skin side down. Generously scoop the filling into each half, you may need to position the eggplants so they keep each-other snug and level.
Return the empty frypan to medium-low heat. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add the remaining polpa, season with salt and pepper.
Top each filled eggplant with a few spoons of tomato sauce, then dot with cottage cheese, a sprinkling of grated cheese and some parsley.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for a further 20 minutes, you should be able to pierce the eggplant skin easily.
Serve with fresh rocket, a drizzle of olive oil, and toasted sourdough. My favourite part is smearing the gooey eggplant and all its delicious juicy meaty insides over my toast, it’s the best.
Keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
Serves 4-6, depending on hunger levels.
Olive oil
500g lean pork/beef sausage, skins removed 3 medium / large eggplants
Salt and pepper
1 large brown onion, finely diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
400g mushrooom, roughly chopped
1 zucchini, finely diced
400g tinned tomato polpa
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 dried oregano
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup grated cheese (blend of cheddar and mozzarella is best)
Handful of parsley
Toasted sourdough, to serve