This week I wanted to try something that seems to be becoming more and more popular: Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan.

Now, growing up my dad didn't like eggplant much, for that reason I wasn't very familiar with this vegetable. I was excited to try it, to my dismay this vegetable browns almost immediately after being chopped. I tell you this now, dear reader, so that when you go to make this you aren't as shocked as I was when making this delicious meal.

I also ended up with far more stuffing than I thought I would. Now, normally I'd be annoyed by that, "what am I going to do with all this extra?" I thought to myself. Well, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise! I took the extra stuffing and made a nice eggplant lasagna. Needless to say, I will be making this dish more, not only because it tastes so good but, also because I can make one full dinner and prep the next day's dinner in one go, and I love efficiency. 

Let's talk about this cheesy stuffed eggplant parmesan. I like to think of this recipe as healthy, but that can really only be as true as the cheese. I love cheese, which is a tragedy. It's so tasty and improves so many foods yet... it's not the best for you. Which, I suppose is true for many things. To summarize, if you want to be healthy, decrease the amount of cheese you use. If you want to make this meal even more decadent, add even more cheese!

And I think that's it for me! I don't have any other notes for this quick, easy, cheesy, eggplant parmesan. To see me make this, click here or find the full recipe below!

Ingredients:

1 lb Midamar Halal 93/7 Ground Beef

 2 13 oz jars of pizza or marinara sauce

2 medium eggplants, halved and cores removed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

1 package of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half

1 egg yolk

2 - 3 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

1/4 cup parmesan

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

 Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350­°. Cut 2 eggplants in half and core with a spoon leaving 1/2 inch of flesh. Chop the removed eggplant into bite sized pieces. In a pan fry onions, ground beef, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Once onions are translucent, add eggplant, oregano, salt and pepper, and garlic. Fry until garlic is fragrant and remove to a mixing bowl.

2) In mixing bowl, combine egg yolk, chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella.

3) In a 9x13 pan, spread remaining tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place cored eggplant in pan and stuff with about 1.5 cups of meat filling. Top with remaining mozzarella, bread crumbs, and parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. Once tops are golden, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.