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Creole Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

  • 3 medium eggplants
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, very well drained, juice reserved
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium bell pepper, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼-½ tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs, divided
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°.  Cover a large sheet pan with parchment and drizzle the parchment with olive oil.
  • Do not peel any of the eggplants.  Slice two of the eggplants in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh leaving ½ inch margin all around.   Chop the pulp finely and put it on the sheet pan. Cut the third eggplant into 1” cubes. Add the cubes to the sheet pan.
  • Squeeze as much juice out of the tomatoes as you can, reserving all the juice.  Add the tomatoes to the sheet pan. Arrange the vegetables in one layer, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven until dry and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the heat down to 325°.
  • Meanwhile, sauté the onions, bell pepper, and celery with a pinch of salt until very soft.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved tomato juice and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.  Add the wine and all of the herbs and spices. Bring to a boil and cook a few minutes until the liquid in the pan is reduced by about half.  Remove from the heat.
  • Fold together the eggplant-tomato mixture, the onion mixture, parmesan cheese, and ⅔ of the breadcrumbs.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Divide evenly among the 4 eggplant shells. Do not pack the stuffing in the shells, use a light hand.  The filling should mound up. Put the stuffed eggplant halves back on the parchment-covered sheet pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil.   Bake until a toothpick pierces the eggplant shells easily, about 45 minutes.

Notes

The full ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper sounds tame, but yields a pretty spicy finished product.  I recommend you start with less, taste, and then adjust to your liking.