Pasta-Stuffed Eggplant

Name: Pasta-Stuffed Eggplant
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 Eggplants; 500 g of Pasta; 300 g of Ground Meat; 700 ml of Strained Tomatoes; 150 g of Provola Cheese; 1 Onion; 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 6 leaves of Basil; Salt; 25 g of Butter; 25 g of All Purpose Flour; 250 ml of Milk; Salt; Black Pepper

Pasta-stuffed eggplant: eggplant boats filled with pasta, meat ragù, béchamel and provola. A showstopping first course, cooked twice.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 25 minutes
Cooking 50 minutes
Servings for 6 people

Pasta-stuffed eggplant is a first course that combines heartiness and showmanship: eggplant boats become delightful containers for pasta coated in a fragrant ragù, béchamel and stretchy provola cheese. The idea was born in the kitchens of Southern Italy, where eggplant is the undisputed star and nothing goes to waste: the scooped-out flesh goes back into the pan to flavor the sauce, while the skin holds all the filling as it bakes.

The double cooking, first in boiling water and then in a convection oven, is the key to the balance: the eggplant stays soft but firm, the pasta dries out just enough and the top takes on a golden finish. Contrary to what many think, this is not strictly a summer dish: black oval eggplants are easy to find for much of the year, and this dish holds its own on a holiday table too, where it elegantly replaces classic baked pasta. Largely make-ahead, it is the perfect recipe when you want to serve something generous without being stuck at the stove at the last minute.

Ingredients for 6 people

For the eggplants and the sauce:
3 Eggplants large, black oval
500 g of Pasta
300 g of Ground Meat mixed
700 ml of Strained Tomatoes
150 g of Provola Cheese
1 Onion small
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 leaves of Basil
Salt to taste
For the béchamel:
25 g of Butter
25 g of All Purpose Flour
250 ml of Milk hot
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

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Method

To make the pasta-stuffed eggplant, start with the béchamel: melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the flour all at once and stir with a whisk, letting the roux cook for a couple of minutes until it turns lightly golden.
Pour the hot milk into the roux in a thin stream, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps, season with salt and pepper and keep cooking until you have a béchamel that is pourable but coating. Set it aside, covered.
Wash and dry the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise, leaving the stem attached: it will support the boat as it cooks and make the dish look nicer when served.
Score the flesh along the inside edge and hollow out the eggplant halves with a spoon, leaving a shell about half a centimeter (1/4 inch) thick. Dice the flesh you scooped out and set it aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the eggplant boats for about 10 minutes, until soft but still intact. Drain them gently and let them dry upside down on a kitchen towel.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet, add the chopped onion and the diced eggplant flesh and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add the ground meat, raise the heat slightly and brown it until it has completely lost its pink color, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the tomato passata, season with salt, add a few basil leaves for fragrance and simmer with the lid partly on for at least 30 minutes, until you have a thick, well-reduced ragù.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water and drain it very al dente, setting aside a ladleful of the cooking water.
Transfer the pasta to the ragù and stir over high heat for a minute, adding a little cooking water if the sauce seems too dry.
Turn off the heat, stir in the béchamel and the diced provola and mix quickly: the cheese should begin to soften without melting completely.
Arrange the eggplant boats in a baking pan lined with parchment paper and, using a ladle and tongs, fill them generously with the sauced pasta.
Bake in a preheated convection oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 10 minutes, just long enough for the top to brown and the provola to turn stretchy.
Take the stuffed eggplants out of the oven, finish with a few small fresh basil leaves and serve them hot, one or two boats per person. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

The vegetarian version works very well if you replace the ground meat with boiled split red lentils or with finely chopped button mushrooms and carrots, which give the same coating texture. For a richer filling you can add crumbled sausage to the ragù, or replace the beef with lamb, typical of some Southern Italian variations. The provola can make way for smoked scamorza for a bolder taste, well-drained fior di latte mozzarella for a more delicate result, or a generous sprinkling of grated pecorino instead of the béchamel, for a drier, more rustic version. You can also change the pasta shape: ditalini rigati, mezze maniche or tubetti hold the sauce just as well and are easier to portion inside the boats. If you like a crunchy touch, top the filling with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs mixed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before baking. Finally, by replacing the eggplants with round bell peppers or round zucchini you get the same idea with a different twist, perfect for a colorful buffet.

Tips

Choose large, even black oval eggplants with glossy skin and a bright green stem: they are the best choice because they give roomy boats and sweet flesh with little bitterness. Don’t boil them for more than 10 minutes, or the boats will fall apart when you fill them: they should give under the pressure of a finger while still holding their shape. Let the eggplants dry well upside down on a kitchen towel before filling them, because any water they hold would dilute the sauce as they bake. Drain the pasta at least two minutes before the time shown on the package: it will finish cooking in the ragù and in the oven, and only this way will it stay al dente in the finished dish. The béchamel is not an optional extra but the binder that holds the filling together: make it the consistency of a pourable cream, because as it thickens in the oven it would otherwise make the pasta dense. One last tip on presentation: arrange the boats snugly side by side in the pan, so they support one another and don’t risk tipping over.

Storage

Pasta-stuffed eggplant is at its best straight from the oven, while the provola is still stretchy. You can still keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap, for up to two days: reheat it in the oven at 170 °C (340 °F) for 10 minutes, preferably covered with aluminum foil for the first few minutes so the pasta doesn’t dry out too much. Freezing is only possible if you used fresh ingredients that were never frozen: arrange the boats, filled but not yet browned, on a tray, freeze them individually and then transfer them to freezer bags, where they keep for up to a month. Bake them straight from frozen at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 25 minutes. The ragù and the béchamel, if made ahead, keep separately in the fridge for two days.