Capperi Recipe ⇝ Melanzane Ripiene con Capperi e Olive (Stuffed Eggplant with Capers and Olives)

The stuffed eggplant is a classic from the Puglia region and throughout the south of Italy. When summer comes and I find small seedless eggplants, I prepare them very often. I add olives and capers to the filling; they blend very well with the flavor of eggplant. These taste even better if prepared in advance, even the day before.

Ingredients

• 9 small eggplants, halved lengthwise
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons pitted and sliced black olives
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce, divided
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange eggplant halves cut-side up in a baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool until easily handled, 5 to 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Scoop pulp out of the eggplants using a spoon, leaving skins intact. Chop pulp coarsely and transfer to a bowl. Mix in eggs, Parmesan cheese, capers, and olives. Add 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stuff eggplant skins with mixture.
5. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange stuffed eggplants on top. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over each eggplant.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and tomato sauce is bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

• calories371.2
• carbohydrateContent58.2 g
• cholesterolContent110.6 mg
• fatContent10.7 g
• fiberContent29.7 g
• proteinContent22.1 g
• saturatedFatContent4.6 g
• sodiumContent1756.8 mg
• sugarContent27.4 g