Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)

Step 2

Wash the eggplants well and cut them in half lengthwise

Step 3

Put them on a baking sheet, skin side down and make crisscross cuts through the flesh

Step 4

Drizzle with lots of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Step 5

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until flesh is completely tender and easy to scoop out

Step 6

Take the eggplants out of the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes covered in aluminum foil while you prepare the filling (this ensures they're easy to scoop)

Step 7

Mince the garlic and dice the onion and pepper very small

Step 8

Saute the diced vegetables in hot olive oil while you scrape out the flesh of each eggplant and add it to the pan

Step 9

When the vegetables are starting to brown, add the ground meat (or the vegetarian mixture) and saute until cooked through

Step 10

Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat

Step 11

Let the mixture rest for a few minutes before filling the empty eggplant skins

Step 12

To fill the skins, first add a layer of tomato sauce to the empty skins before filling

Step 13

Fill each skin to the top, and cover in mozzarella cheese

Step 14

Put under the broiler until just browned on the top

Step 15

Enjoy your Spanish stuffed eggplants!