This recipe for stuffed eggplant with ground beef uses small eggplants that hold the fillings perfectly. The individual-sized servings are colorful and the look is the ultimate in comfort food recipes.
The dish is packed with nutritious ingredients that will tempt even the fussiest of eaters. It’s a tasty way to encourage kids to try vegetables they might otherwise refuse.
The recipe is simple, savory, and sure to satisfy your hunger while keeping things healthy. Follow along as we break down the steps for creating this delicious Italian dish!
I planted eggplants in my vegetable garden this year for the first time. Today, we’ll be using this nutritious vegetable as a vessel for a tasty Italian-inspired filling.
When choosing eggplants for the recipe, try to pick the smallest ones you can find, since they will be sweeter and more tender. I chose ones that were about 6-7 inches long.
Eggplants tend to get more bitter with age.
I’m using lean ground beef, but the recipe also works with ground turkey.
Making stuffed eggplant with ground beef
This recipe features tender eggplants as the star ingredient, but it doesn’t stop there! Flavorful ground beef, a medley of colorful vegetables, and a crunchy cheese topping promise to tantalize your senses!
You’ll need these ingredients to make this healthy recipe.
- Small eggplants
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lean ground beef – missing from the photo but 1 pound is needed.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Onion
- Sweet pepper
- Fresh garlic
- Parsley and basil
- Reduced-fat cheddar cheese
- Full-fat cheddar cheese
- Panko bread crumbs
- Egg
- Tomatoes
I used Cabot 50% reduced fat cheese for the stuffing to save on calories but added a bit of normal cheddar cheese to the topping so that it would melt well. Panko breadcrumbs give the topping a nice crunchy texture.
Instructions
Chop the fresh herbs and set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C.)
Cut the eggplants in half and remove the center section. Leave enough eggplant so the outer skin will hold its shape when baked.
Use a knife to chop the scooped-out filling into pieces and cook it in a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 10 minutes until the eggplant is tender.
Place the eggplant on paper towels to drain and add the remaining olive oil to the pan and cook the onions and garlic.
Add the ground beef and cook until it begins to brown slightly, then stir the chopped peppers into the ground beef and cook until they
are tender.
Place the cooked eggplant in a bowl, with the beef and vegetable mixture, and add the fresh herbs, reduced-fat cheese, Panko breadcrumbs, and egg.
Season with salt and pepper and mix well
Place this mixture into the empty eggplant halves, dividing it evenly among them. Slice the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and dice the tomato flesh.
Add the tomatoes to the top of the filled eggplant shells.
Sprinkle over the regular cheddar cheese, and season with more salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven.
Every bite of this delicious recipe is a delight. It’s a mouthwatering masterpiece that is sure to become a family favorite.
My English husband refers to this recipe as “Carol’s stuffed eggplant with mince” and it’s one of his favorites. I hope your family enjoys it as much as he does!
The dish is great served over a bed of spaghetti. Add some garlic bread and your Italian meal is done!
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Looking for a delicious dinner idea? Try our baked eggplant recipe with ground beef! It's packed with flavor and easy to make. Perfect for a cozy night in! #recipe #dinnerideas #eggplant #groundbeef Share on XOther stuffed vegetable recipes
Eggplant is not the only vegetable that can be stuffed. The sky is the limit on them. Here are a few more stuffed vegetable recipes to try.
- Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Recipe – Fried Squash Blossoms
- Asparagus Pepper Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Recipe
- Stuffed Yellow Squash Boats – Healthy Recipe for Summer Squash
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Laughing Cow Cheese
- Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with Kale and Quinoa
Pin this ground beef stuffed eggplant recipe
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Admin note: this eggplant and ground beef recipe first appeared on the blog in September of 2013. I have updated the post to add all new photos, a printable recipe card, and a video for you to enjoy.
Stuffed Baked Eggplant with Ground Beef
Small eggplants are the perfect size to hold the fillings in this delicious and healthy recipe.
Use Panko breadcrumbs to give your cheesy topping a nice crunch for these mince-stuffed eggplants.
Ingredients
- 3 eggplants about 6-7 inches long.
- 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped basil leaves
- 1 cup of Cabot 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 small chopped tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (176 degrees C)
- Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the center section being sure to leave enough meat inside the skin so that the eggplants hold their shape when baked.
- Dice the scooped-out eggplant.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and cook the scooped-out center pieces until they are tender - about 4 minutes.
- Remove to paper towels to drain.
- Heat the rest of the olive oil and cook the onions and garlic until tender.
- Add the ground beef and cook until it begins to brown slightly.
- Add the sweet pepper, and cook till tender
- Mix together the cooked eggplant, the beef and vegetable mixture, the fresh herbs, the Cabot reduced fat cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among them.
- Top with chopped tomatoes and the regular cheddar cheese, season again with salt and pepper. Place in an oven-proof baking dish sprayed with Pam, and bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven.
- Let cool briefly, and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 439Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 418mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 8gSugar: 11gProtein: 34g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.