Italian sausage stuffed roasted eggplant is a low carb version of the traditional eggplant parmesan. Baked eggplant is stuffed with sauteed sausage and portobello mushrooms and topped with sauce and cheese to make a hearty and comforting dish for dinner or as a meal prep option without pasta.
Chop off the stem end of the eggplant and then cut in half lengthwise. Ensure the eggplant halves are equal in size to help with even cooking.
Using a spoon, scoop out the meaty flesh of the eggplant, ensuring to leave about ¼ - ½ inch of the flesh and the skin intact. You’re aiming for a hollow boat of eggplant to stuff the mixture into. In a small bowl, place the scooped out eggplant and set aside.
Place the eggplant halves in a 9x13 in glass plan, making sure the eggplant halves are in a single layer, flesh side up.
Working quickly, with the flesh side up, brush 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil onto the flesh of each eggplant half. The oil will absorb into the flesh quickly but ensure all the flesh is coated.
Season each eggplant half well with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic powder and kosher salt.
Place the pan in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, or until the eggplant is fork tender all the way through. Depending on how big your eggplants are, cooking time may vary.
Cooking the Filling
While the eggplant is roasting in the oven, place a medium skillet on medium heat.
While the skillet is heating, chop the portobello mushroom caps and eggplant flesh into bite sized pieces.
Once the skillet is heated, add the remaining olive oil. Stir in mushrooms and eggplant flesh pieces.
Occasionally stir the mushrooms and eggplant until starting to brown, about 10 minutes. It is normal for water to be released, allow it to cook off and then the vegetables will start to brown.
Once the vegetables are starting to brown, remove the sausage from the casing and crumble it into the pan. Continue to stir until sausage is browned and fully cooked.
Add the garlic paste and mix well to combine. Next, add the remaining Italian seasoning and kosher salt as needed and taste the mixture, it should be flavorful. If it doesn't, continue to season until it tastes good.
Remove the pan from the heat until the eggplant is done cooking.
Assembly
Once the eggplant halves are fork tender (a fork should easily pierce the flesh with no resistance), remove from the oven.
Toss the marinara sauce and fontina cheese together with the eggplant mixture. Taste the mixture to ensure it is flavorful. If it tastes bland, add more italian seasoning, garlic or salt to taste.
Divide the eggplant mixture into two portions and stuff each roasted eggplant half.
Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano over each half of stuffed eggplant.
Place the glass pan back in the oven (still at 375 F) for 10-13 minutes to melt the cheese.
Remove from the oven and top with parsley.
Notes
Reheat leftovers in the microwave or in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
If you can’t find Italian turkey sausages, Italian chicken or pork sausages will work just as well.
It’s important to taste the mixture to ensure it is properly seasoned before adding it to the roasted eggplant. Each brand of Italian sausage has a different amount of seasoning so some may require additional salt or Italian seasoning.