Stuffed Eggplant

I've had two requests lately for eggplant recipes.  This is a big challenge for me since I'm not particularly fond of eggplant.  I decided there was no better time to find a way to make it that everyone would like.  I think this is a pretty good recipe.  It's got plenty of big flavors which is exactly what I needed to get past my dislike for eggplant.  You could easily substitute ground chicken or turkey if you're looking for a lower fat option.

Cut a large eggplant in half, then brush the cut sides with olive oil.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let cool until you are able to handle it, then cut out the eggplant meat leaving about 1/2 inch shell.

While it cools begin cooking the sausage.  When brown drain off the grease and place into a mixing bowl and sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian seasonings and pepper. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce (I added more sauce at this step instead of spooning more on at the end) and the beaten egg.   If you're using shredded cheese you can add 1/2 cup now. Cut the reserved eggplant meat into bite sized cubes and add into the meat mixture. 

Top with sliced mozzarella or shredded mozzarella and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese his hot and bubbly.

Add additional sauce on top if preferred.

1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
 
Cut the eggplant in half the long way.  Brush olive oil over the cut side and put in the preheated oven cut side up for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle it.
 
While the eggplant is cooling, brown the sausage and then drain off the grease.  Put the sausage in a mixing bowl and add the seasonings, breadcrumbs, egg and  1/2 the cheese and some sauce.  I added all of the sauce at this point but you can had 1/2 now and then spoon more over the top at the end if you'd like.
 
Once the eggplant has cooled, scrape the meat out of the shell leaving about 1/2 inch.  Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and mix in with the sausage mixture. 
 
Scoop the sausage mixture into the shells of the eggplant and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese his hot and melted.
 
Serve with additional sauce if desired.
 
Recipe found here