Cold stuffed round eggplants, melanzane fredde ripiene, are one of the recipes I keep coming back to from my mother's collection of Cucina Italiana. The round shells hold a veal and sausage filling, and because they are served cold I can make the whole thing well before the meal.
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Eggplants reached Italy through the Arabs and the Spanish in the 13th century, part of how foreign ingredients shaped our food, and at first people were sceptical of them.
They called the fruit mela insana, the insane apple, which is where the name melanzana comes from.
In cucina povera the eggplant became a staple that stood in for meat when meat was scarce or not affordable.
It took over in Sicily, where it grew well on the volcanic soil, and became one of the most used ingredients in the region of Catania.
This particular recipe comes from my mother's collection of Cucina Italiana.
I make it often because it is served cold, so I can prepare it well ahead of the meal.
I usually make extra and leave them in the fridge, so my sons can grab one whenever they are hungry.
If you are interested in more stuffed vegetables, you can also try these recipes:
- Round stuffed zucchini
- Rice stuffed tomatoes
- Stuffed peppers
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini and Eggplants
Ingredients
- Round eggplants: large and all a similar size, firm and heavy with tight, glossy skin. The round shape holds the filling well, and if you cannot find round eggplants you can use the long ones as well.
- Lean ground veal: the base of the filling. Ask the butcher for lean veal, or use beef or pork instead.
- Sausage: plain pork sausage for the filling. Any good one works.
- Yogurt: plain yogurt keeps the cream on top light and fresh. Buy it plain and unflavoured.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: for the filling. Buy a piece and grate it fresh rather than pre-grated.
- Butter: for the aromatic base.
- Eggs: they hold the filling together, and one more is for the topping.
- Stale bread: for the filling. I prefer stale bread to panko for its taste and texture.
- Onion, garlic and parsley: the aromatic base and the fresh green note through the dish. Use flat-leaf parsley.
- Bouillon cube or salt: for seasoning.
- Milk: to soften the bread.
- Olive oil and nutmeg: good olive oil, and a little nutmeg for the filling.
Find the measurements in the recipe card.
Step by step instructions
- Wash and dry the eggplants. Cut a small lid off the top of each one and scoop out the inner pulp without breaking the outer shells. Put the pulp in a strainer, sprinkle it with salt, and let it drain to take out the bitterness.
- Soak the stale bread in a little milk.
- Finely chop the onion, one garlic clove, and a small handful of parsley. Soften them in the butter with the crumbled bouillon cube.
- In a large bowl combine the ground veal, the sausage meat, the softened onion mixture, the Parmigiano Reggiano, two eggs, the soaked bread squeezed of its milk, salt, nutmeg, and a little chopped parsley. Knead by hand until the filling is even.
- Fill the four eggplant shells with the meat mixture, put their lids back on, and set them in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for close to one hour, covering the dish with aluminum foil after the first 30 minutes.
- Sauté a handful of chopped parsley and the second garlic clove in three or four tablespoons of olive oil. Add the reserved eggplant pulp, washed, squeezed and chopped, then season with salt and cook it gently.
- Hard-boil the remaining egg, let it cool, peel it, and chop it finely.
- Take the baked eggplants out of the oven and let them cool completely. Remove the lids and slice each eggplant in half lengthwise. Blend the cooked pulp with the yogurt on medium speed for two minutes until you have a smooth cream, then chill it.
- Stir a little finely chopped parsley into the chilled eggplant and yogurt cream. Spread a generous layer over the cut surface of each eggplant half, scatter the chopped hard-boiled egg on top, and finish each one with a parsley leaf. Keep them in the refrigerator until you serve them.
How to serve them
They are served cold, as a starter or as part of a summer table where everything can be made in advance. They sit well next to other stuffed vegetables from the same tradition, like my stuffed round zucchini, the mixed petit farcis, or my potato stuffed vegetables (verdure ripiene). If you want to build a whole eggplant table around them, the pasta alla Norma and the baked eggplant pasta work alongside them.
Questions about cold stuffed eggplants
Can I make cold stuffed eggplants ahead of time?
Yes, and it is one of the reasons I make them so often. They are served cold, so you can prepare them well ahead of the meal. I usually make extra and keep them in the fridge, so my sons can grab one whenever they are hungry.
Can I use beef or pork instead of veal?
Yes, you can substitute the veal with beef or pork.
I can only find sausages in their casing. Can I still use them?
Yes. Buy regular sausage and remove the meat from the casing before you add it to the filling.
Can I use cream instead of yogurt for the topping?
I would not. Cream makes the topping too heavy. The yogurt keeps it light and fresh.
Why do I salt the eggplant pulp?
You sprinkle the scooped pulp with salt and let it drain to take out the bitterness before you cook it.
Which eggplants work best?
Use large round eggplants of a uniform size. You scoop out the pulp and fill the shells, so round ones are the right shape for this recipe.
More stuffed vegetable recipes
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Cold Stuffed Round Eggplants (Melanzane Fredde Ripiene)
Verified Culinary AuthorityEquipment
Ingredients
- 4 large round eggplants uniform in size (about 2.5 lb / 1.2 kg total)
For the filling
Instructions
- Wash and dry the eggplants. Cut a small lid off the top of each one and scoop out the inner pulp without breaking the outer shells.
- Put the pulp in a strainer, sprinkle it with salt, and let it drain to take out the bitterness.
Make the filling
- Soak the stale bread in a little milk.
- Finely chop the onion, one garlic clove, and a small handful of parsley.
- Soften them in the butter with the crumbled bouillon cube.
- In a large bowl combine the ground veal, the sausage meat, the softened onion mixture, the Parmigiano Reggiano, two eggs, the soaked bread squeezed of its milk, salt, nutmeg, and a little chopped parsley.
- Knead by hand until the filling is even.
- Fill the four eggplant shells with the meat mixture, put their lids back on, and set them in a baking dish.
- Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for close to one hour, covering the dish with aluminum foil after the first 30 minutes.
Make the topping
- Sauté a handful of chopped parsley and the second garlic clove in three or four tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the reserved eggplant pulp, washed, squeezed and chopped, then season with salt and cook it gently.
- Hard-boil the remaining egg, let it cool, peel it, and chop it finely.
Assemble
- Take the baked eggplants out of the oven and let them cool completely.
- Remove the lids and slice each eggplant in half lengthwise.
- Blend the cooked pulp with the yogurt on medium speed for two minutes until you have a smooth cream, then chill it.
- Stir a little finely chopped parsley into the chilled eggplant and yogurt cream.
- Spread a generous layer over the cut surface of each eggplant half, scatter the chopped hard-boiled egg on top, and finish each one with a parsley leaf.
- Keep them in the refrigerator until you serve them.
Nutrition
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