Ingredients
2 eggplants, (roughly 2 lb total), medium, sliced in half
8 oz yellow onions, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp red chili flakes
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
12 oz tomatoes, de-seeded and cut into small dice
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp parsley, fresh, finely chopped, and divided
2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
¼ tsp salt, plus extra for the eggplant
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Preparation
Using a knife, make slits down the middle of the eggplants. Make sure not to slice too deeply till you slice through them.
Lightly salt the eggplant slices and leave it for 20 minutes. Pat them dry then set them aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the eggplants, cut side down. Add more oil as needed.
Fry gently until cut sides turn golden brown. Flip over and fry the skin until it starts to shrivel. Remove eggplants from the pan and let them drain on paper towels for 15 minutes. Save the remaining olive oil for later.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes then add in the garlic, red chili flakes, salt, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute then pour in the tomatoes and let it simmer for 5 minutes to let it thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley.
Spoon the onion and tomato mixture in between the slits of each eggplant.
Brush the stuffed eggplants with lemon juice. Sprinkle your eggplants with sugar.
Cover it with foil and bake your dish in the oven for roughly 45 minutes, or until the eggplant is already tender and the sauce has caramelized.
Once your dish is done baking, let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting your eggplant slices.
Garnish it with parsley and enjoy your flavorful meat-free dish. You also have the option to serve this whole as a main course.
