This succulent dish of rice-stuffed eggplant Parmesan is a traditional Italian recipe, which has become popular among food lovers of this vegetable for the flavor and nutrients it provides. As we know, eggplants can be white, green, red, purple, black, uniform or striped.
On this occasion, we would like to introduce you to this very easy-to-prepare recipe using purple eggplants for you to try and taste this exquisite dish.
Main ingredients
Make sure you have at hand the indicated amounts of the ingredients for this recipe. So that you get servings enough for your guests. The ingredients are:
- 1 eggplant, cut in half lengthwise.
- 3.5 oz (100 g) of rice. It must be dry-weighed and already boiled.
- 2 fl oz (60 ml) of olive oil.
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped.
- 1 tomato already washed and chopped.
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped.
- 1 bell pepper, washed, seeded and chopped.
- 2 oz (50 g) of Parmesan cheese, grated.
- 2 teaspoons of oregano, preferably dried oregano.
- 2 pinches of dried basil.
- Boiling water to cook the eggplant.
- Salt and pepper (to taste).
Preparation of the recipe
The rice-stuffed eggplant Parmesan was created in Sicily, but it is often prepared in different areas of southern Italy. It requires the following preparation steps:
- Empty the eggplant pulp leaving 8-10 mm thick around the skin.
- Cut the pulp and set aside.
- Put the emptied eggplant in a casserole dish.
- Cut side down and add boiling water until it rises 1 cm on the side.
- Add a little salt.
- Next, cover the casserole and cook the eggplant for 3 minutes.
- Then drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Fry the onion until it becomes transparent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir a couple of times.
- Now add the eggplant pulp, tomato and bell pepper, cooking until tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper and herbs.
- Finally, add the rice. Set the mixture aside.
- Heat the oven to 175-180º C (350 F).
- Stuff the eggplants with the rice and vegetable mixture.
- Put them in a baking dish.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
- Put the eggplants in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the skin is tender and the cheese has browned.
- Remove the eggplants stuffed with rice from the oven and serve hot.
With the amount presented here, you will get a yield of 2 servings. As to preparation time is concerned, it requires 20 minutes and the cooking time is around 45. In total the cooking time to prepare the is 1 hour and 5 minutes.
You can prepare it to enjoy as an everyday dish for a complete lunch. But also it can be cooked for a weekend of sharing with friends or even for that first date with your loved one. You can accompany rice-stuffed eggplant with a light starter of creamy vegetables or a fresh green salad, though you can enjoy eggplants Parmesan on their own.
This recipe style is being categorized by culinary experts as cooking for beginners, and classified with a medium time and difficulty. It is considered a dish for couples or for an even number of diners because each portion is half an eggplant once stuffed with rice and sauce.
For more information about this flavorful recipe, you may visit https://minuterice.com/recipes/rice-stuffed-eggplant-parmesan/
Helpful Tips
Stuffed eggplant is a classic of the traditional Italian cuisine. In each place, they are prepared in a different way, but the truth is that it is a preparation that admits many other possibilities… and the result is always an appetizing dish!
The most classic option with rice and Parmesan is the one that most pleases young and old alike.
It is recommended to have it prepared in advance and even to make a quantity and freeze it later and take it out as you are going to eat it.
When it comes to healthy recipes, eggplant is one at the top of the list. This is because it requires noble ingredients and provides an impressive flavor.
Preparing eggplants stuffed with rice, it does not take as long to make as it seems. However, the secret to shortening the time is precooking the vegetable in the microwave.
To stuff eggplants, it is best to use large oval pieces that we can cut in half lengthwise and put a good amount of the filling.
We can also use, apart from rice, sautéed and stir-fried vegetables, cereals (brown rice, millet, buckwheat, etc.), legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas), or a little bit of everything.
As to the benefits it has it all: minerals, vitamins, serotonin, antioxidants and more. However, what is best about eggplant is that it is super versatile and, as said, can be stuffed with an endless number of fillings, not only rice. So you can cook it with a variety of other ingredients; from minced meat, tuna, to its vegetarian version with rice or quinoa.
More about eggplants
Since eggplants are very light for their size because their insides are spongy, full of air, be sure to choose those that are heavy for their size, have shiny, smooth skin. Also, make sure they have no wrinkles, that they are not too hard, as they would be green, more acidic, a little more tasteless.
On the other hand, if they are soft, they are too ripe, they will have large seeds inside and the flavor will be more bitter.
Concerning a well preservation of eggplants, store them in the least cold part of the refrigerator, for example in the vegetable drawer. At less than 50 F (10°C) they can turn brown and soft quickly.
As well as if it is very hot (more than 72 F or 22°C), so it is best to store them for a short time and consume them as soon as possible.
How to reduce the bitterness of eggplants
The most bitter eggplants are the purple or black ones, especially if they are very ripe, because of the phenolic acids they have. You can eliminate or neutralize these compounds by cooking, but it is also possible to eliminate a little more by osmosis.
To do this, cut the eggplants into cubes, slices or halves lengthwise, depending on how you are going to prepare them, sprinkle them with salt and let them rest for 30 minutes. After that time you will see that the eggplant has “sweated”. Drain them, wash them under running water and dry them with kitchen paper.
The grains of salt that you have sprinkled make water and part of the bitter taste compounds come out of the eggplant cells, resulting in those droplets that become visible on the surface.
