Bechamel, a much-loved creamy sauce made with milk and flour, gets flavored with Parmesan for a cheesy topping. Cook, relax, and enjoy!
What you’ll need:
2 small eggplants
1 shallot
¼ oz fresh parsley
1 oz Parmesan
8 oz ground beef
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 can cherry tomatoes
6.75 oz whole milk
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
all-purpose flour
Equipment:
rimmed baking sheet
grater or microplane
large skillet
small saucepan
Recipe steps:
-
Prep eggplants
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Halve eggplants and using a spoon, scoop out flesh, leaving about an ⅛-inch–¼-inch border. Coarsely chop eggplant flesh and set aside. Drizzle eggplant boats with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on rimmed baking sheet until golden and softened, 12—15 minutes. -
Prep ingredients
Meanwhile, halve, peel, and finely chop shallot. Remove parsley leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves and finely chop stems. Grate Parmesan. -
Cook beef filling
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add shallot and parsley stems and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in eggplant flesh and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 3–5 minutes. Add beef and cinnamon and cook until beef is browned, 3–5 minutes. -
Finish beef filling
Stir in cherry tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Lower heat to medium and cook until thickened, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in half of grated Parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. -
Make bechamel
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium. Whisk in 1 tablespoon flour and cook until golden and nutty, 1–2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining Parmesan. -
Broil and serve
Switch oven to broil with rack 6 inches from heat element. Divide beef filling between eggplants and top with sauce. Broil until brown and bubbly, 3–5 minutes. Divide boats between 2 plates and garnish with remaining chopped parsley. Enjoy!