Meatball-Stuffed Hasselback Eggplant Casserole
When the days start to get longer and colder, nothing tastes better than a warm and hearty casserole. In this case, we opted for a recipe with eggplant, mashed potatoes, and ground beef, making it not only fast and easy to make, but also fast and easy to eat given how tasty it is.
You'll Need:
For the mashed potatoes:
- 2 lbs floury potatoes
- 3 tbsp butter
- nutmeg to taste
- 8 fl oz milk
For the meatballs:
- 8 oz ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tbsp bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Extra:
- 1 eggplant
- 2 large skewers
- 10 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Here's How:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel and chop the potatoes into equal-sized pieces and boil in hot water until soft. Drain the water and mash the potatoes with butter and milk and season with nutmeg. Spread the mashed potatoes over a casserole dish and smooth out the top.
2. Mix the ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut the eggplant in half and cut off the stem.
4. Lay each eggplant half between two large skewers and slice the eggplant (the skewers will keep the knife from cutting all the way through).
5. Cut the eggplant halves completely after every 6th incision.
6. Fill the eggplant sections with the ground beef mixture and place them on top of the mashed potatoes in the casserole dish.
7. Pour tomato sauce over the hasselback eggplants, sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top, and cook for 30 minutes until the cheese turns golden brown and starts to bubble.
If you don't notice it when you're sliding the casserole into the oven, you'll certainly see it when you take your first bite – the meatballs pair perfectly with the eggplant, and the added combination of mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, and cheese makes this dish simply heavenly!
You can find the recipe for the Mediterranean Eggplant Roll featured in the bonus video here.