Stuffed Eggplant

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. Cut around the edge of the flesh in each eggplant half using a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scoop out flesh using a spoon, leaving 1/2-inch-thick shell; reserve flesh.

3. Brush shells with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper; set aside. Chop reserved eggplant flesh into bite-size pieces.
   

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage, onion, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in reserved chopped eggplant and basil. Add pasta sauce; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup of panko and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

5. Stuff mixture into eggplant shells. Combine remaining panko and cheese in a small bowl; sprinkle over stuffing.

6. Bake in preheated oven until eggplant is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

Test Kitchen Tips

This recipe was tested in our test kitchen in May 2023 and updated to bake for 45 minutes. We used less bread crumbs, and added 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, chopped onion, and tomato-basil sauce.