EGGPLANT STUFFED PEPPERS

Eggplant-Stuffed Bell Peppers with Shrimp

Yields: 8 servings

Stuffing bell peppers with eggplant adds a creative twist. It is quite common in Cajun Country to incorporate multiple vegetables in a stuffing.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and (¼-inch) diced
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 2 orange bell peppers
• 2 green bell peppers
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ pound ground pork
• ¼ pound ground beef
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• ¼ cup finely diced celery
• ¼ cup finely diced garlic
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups peeled and deveined river shrimp*
• ½ cup finely diced tomatoes
• Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic, to taste
• 1½ cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 1¼ cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large stockpot, boil eggplant in lightly salted water over medium-high heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3. Cut top off each bell pepper. Mince bell pepper tops, and set aside, discarding stems. Remove cores from all bell peppers, being careful not to tear shells. Set bell peppers aside, discarding cores.
4. In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add pork and beef; cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add eggplant, onion, celery, and diced garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add stock; bring to a rolling boil, and cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup and meat is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in shrimp and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Add minced bell pepper tops, bread crumbs, and 1 cup Parmesan.
5. Stuff reserved bell peppers with equal portions of mixture. Additional bread crumbs may be sprinkled on top. Place on a baking pan with a 2-inch lip. Fill pan with 1 inch water. Cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake until internal temperature of peppers reaches 145°, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until bell peppers are browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan over peppers. Serve immediately.

Notes

Note: Choose bell peppers of roughly the same size.

*If you cannot find river shrimp, use peeled and deveined medium shrimp.