Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Beef

Ingredients

• 2 Eggplants
• Salt
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 Garlic clove
• 2 tbsp olive oil (20 ml)
• 350 g ground beef
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped herbs (rosemary and thyme)
• 0.5 tsp sweet paprika powder
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 1 tbsp chives

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Parboil covered in salted water for 2–3 minutes, then remove, drain, and let cool slightly. Carefully scoop out the flesh, leaving a roughly 1 cm thick rim. Place the hollowed halves side by side in a heat‑proof dish. Dice the removed flesh.

2. 2.

   Wash the bell pepper, halve it, core it, remove the white membranes, and dice into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Wash, dry, shake off excess moisture from rosemary and thyme, pluck the leaves, and roughly chop them.

3. 3.

   Add the ground beef to the pan, stirring until it starts to crumble. Then add the diced eggplant flesh, bell pepper cubes, rosemary, and thyme; cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika powder.

4. 4.

   Preheat the oven to 225 °C (200 °C fan‑forced; gas: level 3–4).

5. 5.

   Fill the eggplant halves with the beef mixture and place them in a greased baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Arrange the stuffed eggplants on plates, sprinkle with chives if desired, and serve.