Melanzane Ripiene Recipe

Written by: Vladimir Lapshin

Key Takeaways

• Simple Ingredients: This recipe uses simple ingredients such as ground meat, eggplants, tomato purée, parmesan cheese, and seasoned breadcrumbs.
• Versatile Dish: You can customize your Melanzane Ripiene recipes by using various fillings or making it completely vegetarian.
• Great for meal Prep: Melanzane Ripiene recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator before baking. 
• Ideal for any Occasion: This meal works well as snacks, side dish or main dish. It is good for a variety of occasions and ideal for family gatherings and dinners. 

Introduction

If you want to treat yourself with a flavorful and hearty meal that can be served as main dish or side, you should definitely try out the Melanzane Ripieni recipe. Melanzane Ripiene are eggplants stuffed with savory ground meat, tomatoes, cheese, and breadcrumbs, all of it baked to perfection, and topped with melting mozzarella cheese. One bite of it? and this will become your instant favorite. 

What is Melanzane Ripiene?

Melanzane Ripiene is an Italian cuisine that features eggplants stuffed with ground meat, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and cheese. These filled eggplants are baked to perfection and are so mouth watering and tasty. This delicious meal can be served as a side dish or main course due to its satisfying flavor and rich texture. 

Basic Recipe Outline

Melanzane Ripiene Recipe

Recipe by Recipe Blossom

0.0 from 0 votes

Cuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories per serving

400

kcal

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Large eggplants: 2

• Ground beef: 1 lb (450g)

• Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tablespoons

• Tomato purée: 1 cup

• Parmesan cheese: ½ cup

• Seasoned breadcrumbs: ½ cup

• Flat-leaf parsley: ¼ cup, chopped

• Salt: 1 teaspoon + more for salting eggplant

• Red pepper flakes: To taste

• Shredded mozzarella: To cover eggplant

Step by Step Instructions

• Preheat Oven: First of all, preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Prepare Eggplants: Take eggplants and cut their ends. Discard the ends of the eggplant. Now, cut the eggplant lengthwise into two halves and remove their flesh with a spoon. Place your eggplants on a baking sheet and sprinkle some salt on it. Salt removes the moisture from the eggplants. Cut the flesh of the eggplants into smaller chunks roughly about half inch wide. 
• Cook Ground Beef: Take a large frying pan and heat the extra virgin olive oil in it over medium heat. Add some red pepper flakes to it according to your taste and heat for a minute. Add ground beef in the pan and cook it. When the beef is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. 
• Sauté the Eggplant Flesh: Take the eggplant flesh and put it in a pan. Sauté it for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt on it and toss it well. 
• Combine Ingredients: Place the browned beef in the pan and add breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and tomato purée to it. Mix them thoroughly together until it becomes like a paste. Finally turn off the heat, add half of the parsley and stir. 
• Fill and Bake the Eggplants: Fill the eggplant with prepared mixture and and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the eggplants become tender and soft. 
• Add Cheese: Take out the eggplants from the oven and put some mozzarella cheese on top of them. Return the eggplants to the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. 
• Serve: Place the prepared eggplants on a plate and sprinkle some fresh parsley on top of it. Serve it with your favorite sides and enjoy the meal. 

Chef Recommendations

• Try Different Fillings: You can customize your recipe by experimenting with different fillings for eggplants such as using different meats or making them completely vegetarian. 
• Add Spices: Add spices such as thyme or oregano into the filling of your eggplants for an extra flavor. 

Choosing the Best Eggplants for Melanzane Ripiene recipe

You should always choose the eggplants with firm and shiny skin without soft spots or blemishes. Smaller Italian varieties of eggplants are mostly preferred for Melanzane Ripiene recipes because they have sweeter flavor and have few seeds. 

When choosing eggplants, check if they feel heavy for their size. This indicates their freshness and shows they are full of moisture.

What Pairs Well with Melanzane Ripiene?

Melanzane Ripiene pairs well with mixed greens salad as it adds freshness to the dish. You can also pair your Melanzane Ripiene with crusty Italian bread, or focaccia to make it more tasty and flavorful.

FAQs