If you like eggplant parmesan, try these Mini Stuffed Eggplant! Bite-sized vegetables are filled with a meatball-style mixture, topped with cheese, and baked until crisp and golden.
Hello friends — happy Wednesday! Today I’m sharing a recipe you’ll adore: eggplant parmesan made inside tiny eggplants. These Mini Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan are cute, flavorful, and surprisingly simple. Each mini eggplant is a little shell filled with savory ground beef, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, Parmesan and mozzarella, plus classic seasonings and tomato sauce. They bake until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden. Let’s get cooking!
Quick note: I’ve been a bit quieter lately because I’m finishing my final classroom semester of PA school before clinical rotations. It’s been intense — lots of studying and long days — but very rewarding. That’s why my posting schedule has slowed a bit. I’m writing this between study sessions because I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you.
These tiny eggplants showed up thanks to my mom, who knows I love odd little produce finds for the blog. I halved and scooped them, sautéed the scooped flesh, then mixed it into a meatball-like filling of ground beef, soaked bread, egg, and Parmesan. The filling is spooned back into each shell, topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce, sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and baked. The result tastes like a compact eggplant parmesan with the satisfying richness of meatballs inside.
If you can’t find the tiny eggplants, use regular ones — the method is the same, though cooking time will be longer. We served these mini stuffed eggplants over spaghetti, but they’re equally good on rice or cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option. They’re fun to make and wonderfully flavorful.
mini stuffed eggplant parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini eggplants
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 slices white bread crustless
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
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Wash the eggplants and cut them in half. Scoop out the centers and reserve the flesh for the filling.
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Optional: place the cut eggplants in a bowl of cold salted water for a short time to draw out any bitterness. Rinse and pat dry before stuffing.
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Chop the reserved eggplant flesh finely. Heat the olive oil in a small nonstick pan and sauté the chopped flesh until tender and lightly golden. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
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In a medium bowl, combine the milk and bread, mashing together. Add the ground beef, egg, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, paprika, and the cooked eggplant. Mix until well combined.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly oil a 10″ cast iron skillet or a 9×13 pan. Arrange the eggplant shells in a single layer and fill each with the meat mixture.
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Top each filled eggplant with shredded or sliced mozzarella and spoon tomato sauce over the cheese. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly across the pan.
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Pour about ½” of water into the bottom of the pan to keep the eggplants moist. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
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Note: if using large eggplants, increase the baking time to ensure they cook through.
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Serve hot over pasta or rice and enjoy.
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