Eggplant is a food that is easy to eat and easy to process into many delicious and exotic dishes. Grilled eggplant with meat sauce is one of them, the easy way that Apronese will send you below.
Cut the eggplant in half, bake it fragrantly, then spread a layer of homemade meat on top, the color and taste certainly won’t disappoint you.
Oven Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce
Red Sauce Short Cut
It takes some time to roast eggplant (about an hour), so I was able to make my own sauce at that time. I want to emphasize just how easy it is to make the meat sauce, but you can always substitute it for your favorite jarred sauce, but if you want to make this recipe even easier, you can always substitute the homemade meat sauce for your favorite jarred sauce. It’s really easy, so I might just make it once a week to drizzle over my roasted vegetables.
Make it Vegetarian
If you do not wish to use meat sauce, sauté some minced mushrooms instead. This will add more bulk and keep your sauce more of a main dish rather than just a side dish.
You need to make sure that you cook down those mushrooms until you see that the liquid in the pot dries up and you start noticing that the mushrooms start browning. This is the part where the flavor gets to you.
Eggplant Skin: Is It Edible?
Although some people don’t like the texture of eggplant’s dark skin, the skin is completely edible and perfectly edible.
Though the skin of eggplant provides a lot of fiber and nutrients, if you find that you do not prefer it, simply scoop the eggplant flesh out of the skin as you eat it. The eggplant flesh will be quite soft and is easy to separate from the skin.
Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce
There is no food that can compete with Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce for its elegance and low carb content. Pair it with a simple green salad for a complete meal that won’t leave you hungry.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Roasted Eggplant
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 eggplant (about 7″-8″ long) ($2.58)
Meat Sauce
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($3.25)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 small onion ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes ($0.89)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.21)
Instructions
- As soon as the oven has been preheated to 400 degrees F, pour the olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt into a small bowl and mix them well.
- Using a paring knife, cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, then score a crosshatching pattern into their flesh (do not pierce the skin). Drizzle the seasoned olive oil over the cut surfaces of the eggplants, and use a spoon to brush the oil around the cut surfaces.
- The eggplant should be laid out cut side down on a baking sheet. After placing the eggplant on the baking sheet, you should coat it with non-stick spray to keep it clean once the eggplant is cooked. Roast the eggplant for about 60 minutes, until they appear deflated and their skin appears wrinkled.
- It is important to prepare the meat sauce while the eggplant is roasting. Place the ground beef, olive oil, and salt in a pot over medium heat and simmer until the ground beef has browned. If using a heavier cut of beef (90% lean or lower), you might want to drain the excess fat from the pot while it is cooking to prevent the sauce from becoming too thick.
- It is best to add the onion, butter, and garlic to the browned beef when it is ready to cook, then sauté it slowly until it is translucent. Once the onion is cooked, add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and some freshly cracked pepper to the sauce, and stir well to combine. Let the sauce come to a simmer by stirring it once again, and allow it to simmer for at least 30 minutes. When it reaches a simmer, lower the heat to a medium low and let it simmer until the eggplants have been cooked, or for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, taste the sauce and add salt as required (about 1/2 tsp).
- The eggplant should now be quite soft, so make sure you flip them carefully with a spatula (they will definitely be quite soft). Once the eggplant halves are done cooking, top each one with a generous ladle of the meat sauce and a sprinkle of grated parmesan.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 328.73 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 23.55 g ・ Protein: 17.6 g ・ Fat: 18.85 g ・ Sodium: 932.83 mg ・ Fiber: 7.6 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the oven to 400oF by placing it in a large ovenproof dish. In a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend, and 1/4 tsp salt, and mix together.
On a baking sheet, cut half of an eggplant in half lengthwise, then score a crosshatch pattern into the flesh without piercing the skin. Place the eggplant cut side up on the baking sheet.
You will need to drizzle the seasoning oil over the surface of the eggplant that has been cut and then use the back of a spoon to smear it all over the surface.
The eggplant should be flipped over so that the cut side is down, which helps keep the steam in while they roast and soften the eggplant. When you are going to cook the eggplant, use some non-stick spray on the baking sheet.
This will help keep the eggplant from sticking to it and make cleanup a little simpler. After the eggplant has been transferred to the oven, roast it for approximately an hour. The amount of time will depend on the eggplant’s size and width.
During the roasting of the eggplant, I would recommend that you begin a meat sauce by adding half a lb. of ground beef to a saucepot with one tablespoon of olive oil and allowing the beef to cook until it is golden brown.
When you are using beef with a higher fat content, drain off any excess fat and add one small onion and two tablespoons of butter to the dish. Continue to sauté until the onion is soft and transparent.
The onions should be softened by now, and a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, a half teaspoon of Italian seasoning blend, and some freshly cracked pepper should be added once the onions are softened. You just need to stir to combine the sauce and allow it to simmer for at least a half hour.
Once it reaches a simmering point, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer over low for at least half an hour. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes, so I just let it simmer until the eggplant is completely roasted.
It is important that you taste the sauce once it has simmered for about 10 minutes and until you are just about to serve it, add salt if needed (I added about 1/2 teaspoon salt).
It should take around an hour for the eggplant to become soft and the skin should appear wrinkled.
It is important to flip the eggplant over gently, as it will be quite soft and wobbly when you flip it for the first time. Notice the beautiful caramelization on the eggplant all over.
Place each eggplant piece on a serving plate and top it with a generous amount of meat sauce.
You can also sprinkle a little grated Parmesan over the top and serve! (I added a little chopped parsley only to give the photographs a little color) I highly recommend this recipe.
This is a delicious dish! I recommend pairing the Roasted Eggplant with Meat sauce with a simple green salad and you will be all set! (Okay, maybe some garlic bread as well.)
Remember to share in the comments for Apronese and everyone to know the results of this eggplant recipe.
