Calabrian-style stuffed eggplants in tomato sauce, the Sunday dish that smells of goodness. If you are looking for the true flavor of a Southern Sunday, Calabrian stuffed eggplants are an experience you cannot miss. They are not just stuffed eggplants, but a masterpiece of textures and aromas that smells of home and tradition.
The peculiarity lies in the heart of the filling: the eggplant is first blanched to extract the pulp, which, when combined with selected meat, stale bread, grated cheese and eggs, creates a rich and velvety filling. But the real secret is the double cooking: a quick fry to seal the flavors and give that irresistible crust, followed by a slow plunge in the tomato sauce and a final bake in the oven that makes them tender and succulent, ready to melt in your mouth.
Preparing them is an act of love; eating them is a journey through the alleys of the most authentic Calabria, and often walking those alleys you will smell them like the sirens luring Ulysses. Try them and let yourself be won over by a dish that tastes like a celebration!
Try some of my favorite eggplant recipes.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Moderate
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Frying, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Summer
Ingredients for Calabrian-style stuffed eggplants in tomato sauce
- 4 oval black eggplants, not too large
- 14 oz ground beef
- 1 slice stale bread
- 1 egg
- to taste parsley
- to taste black pepper
- grated pecorino (or Parmesan)
- 2 cups tomato puree (fresh)
- to taste basil
- to taste salt
- to taste sunflower oil
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
Tools to prepare Calabrian-style stuffed eggplants in tomato sauce
- 1 Pot
- 1 Knife
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Colander
- 1 Slotted spoon
Steps to prepare Calabrian-style stuffed eggplants in tomato sauce
Put a large pot on the stove and fill it halfway with water. Bring to a boil. In the meantime, wash the eggplants, remove the stem, cut them in half lengthwise, and with a knife score the pulp without piercing the outer skin. Cook until they are soft but not falling apart. Gently remove them with a slotted spoon and let them cool slightly.
For the filling soak the bread. When it is soft, prepare the mixture as you would for meatballs, omitting the garlic: add the meat, the squeezed and crumbled bread, the egg, parsley, black pepper and salt. Also add the eggplant pulp, scooping it out gently with a spoon and squeezing it well. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous filling.
In a pan quickly prepare the tomato sauce with a little extra virgin olive oil, the garlic and tomato puree made at home; be careful not to burn the garlic — put it whole and crushed. Salt and cook for 10 minutes. Finally add some fresh basil for fragrance.
At this point lightly salt the hollowed eggplants and fill them with the prepared mixture. It should be enough for all eggplants; if you find you need more, you can use a little more bread, or if there is leftover mixture make small meatballs.
Fry the stuffed eggplants in plenty of sunflower oil; this is what makes them special. Drain them well once golden and place on absorbent paper.
Now place the filled eggplants into the sauce — you can put them directly into the pan and simmer them with a lid and grated cheese on top, or arrange them in a baking dish to finish in the oven.
Put a generous layer of sauce in the baking dish, arrange the stuffed eggplant halves, and cover with more sauce and grated cheese or salted ricotta. Bake at 392°F for about 20 minutes. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving, otherwise they will be too hot. They are also excellent eaten cold or reheated the next day.
