Stuffed Eggplant

Makes 2 servings as a meal and 4 servings in combination with sides

2 graffiti eggplant

½ onion, roughly chopped

½ lb ground beef

3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon red pepper flake (more for spicy, omit for no spice)

About ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup water

1 handful chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

¼ cup crumbled feta

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Lemon wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Trim the stem off of the eggplant. Slice in half lengthwise, then use a paring knife to score a well in the eggplant leaving ¼-½ inch border. Use a spoon to scoop out the middle where you scored to make a boat. Season the boats with olive oil and salt.

Roughly chop the eggplant guts you just scooped out. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and the ground beef. Cook until no longer pink, then add the onion, garlic, and eggplant guts and saute with salt until soft. About 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, spices, herbs and cook another 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Deglaze with the water to make the mixture saucy and stir in the parsley. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Prop your eggplant boats up in a baking dish with little balls of foil if needed to keep them from capsizing. Return the beef and veggie mixture to your boats, they will be quite full! Sprinkle the boats with the feta and parmesan. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the eggplant skin is tender when pierced with a knife and the cheese is a little brown. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon.