Eggplant stuffed with Beef & Rice
Servings
Ingredients
2 cups basmati or jasmine rice, cooked
2 Japanese eggplant (medium) (or 2 small regular eggplant)
olive oil
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon all-spice
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Eggplant:
Cut the eggplant in half. Toss lightly in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, face down, on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool. With a spoon, scoop out the “meat” of the eggplant, chop and reserve.
Stuffing:
In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and lightly sauté the garlic and onions. Add the ground beef and brown. Drain the beef of any excess fat and return to pan. Add the reserved eggplant, bay leaves, 1 can of tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts and all-spice. Continue to cook until most of the moisture from the tomatoes is gone. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
In the bottom of each eggplant shell, spoon about 1/2 cup of rice. Fill the remaining space with the beef mixture. Place the eggplant in a oven-proof dish, top with remaining tomatoes and bake in a 350 350°F oven for 20- 30 minutes or until hot.
