EGGPLANT STUFFED BELL PEPPER

Eggplant Stuffed Bell Pepper image

I used my recipe for Donna's Eggplant Casserole as the filling which is a deconstructed eggplant parm, then topped it with six-cheese Italian blend then baked it until the cheese melted. I like my bell pepper to be hot but still crisp. You can cook your peppers to any texture you desire.

Provided by Donna Graffagnino

Categories Seafood

Time 3h

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, peeled & diced
6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 can(s) (15 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
3 scoop(s) celery, diced
2 Tbsp celery, diced
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried chives
salt & white pepper
1 c shredded parmesan
1 1/2 lb ground meat, pork breakfast sausage, cooked louisiana crawfish tails, or raw shrimp
3 c italian bread crumbs, toasted in skillet
3 large eggs
1+ c shredded mozzarella or italian blend cheese for final topping

Steps:

1. Liberally salt diced eggplant and set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse well & drain.
2. If using ground beef, season with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and onion and fry off the ground beef and/or breakfast sausage in a skillet until no longer pink.
3. Remove meat to drain in paper towel lined colander and discard grease. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and use to toast bread crumbs.
4. Slice top off of peppers and remove seeds and ribs from inside. Stand up peppers in a rectangle baking dish with just a little water in the bottom. Set aside.
5. In a stockpot saute eggplant, tomatoes, vegetables, and seasoning (first 11 ingredients) in 4 tablespoons olive oil until it's really cooked down, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.
6. In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add breadcrumbs; stir to completely coat breadcrumbs. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until breadcrumbs get about 2 shades darker. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. While eggplant mixture is cooking, get a large mixing bowl add beaten eggs, and toasted bread crumbs, (See Note Below), shredded cheese (except cheese for topping) & seasonings. Mix well and set aside.
8. When the eggplant mixture has cooked down for an hour or so, add the meat or seafood and cook until hot and/or seafood is cooked through. Taste eggplant mixture and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove from Heat. Add eggs and cheese mixture to eggplant and mix well.
9. Stuff mixture into bell peppers and pack firmly. Liberally top with cheese reserved for topping and bake at 350* F for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to turn golden. Enjoy!
10. *Note: Toasting the breadcrumbs is an important step and will keep the mixture from becoming gummy. Toast extra and put in Ziploc bag in freezer for later use.