Italian Style Meatball Stuffed Eggplant

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).

Take the eggplant and cut it in half lengthwise. Then, use a spoon to scoop out some of the flesh to create a hollow - like boat shape.

Dice the scooped - out eggplant flesh and set it aside.

Place the eggplant halves in a baking dish.

Pour some olive oil into a large skillet and heat it over medium heat until the oil shimmers.

Add the onion and carrots to the hot skillet and cook them for 2 minutes, until the edges of the vegetables start to soften.

Next, add the garlic and the reserved chopped eggplant to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant pieces are tender and the garlic is fragrant.

Add the crumbled meatballs to the vegetables in the skillet. Stir well to combine them with the vegetables.

Season the mixture in the skillet with the dried Italian herbs, salt, and black pepper. Stir again to evenly distribute the seasonings.

Pour the marinara sauce into the skillet and stir thoroughly to combine all the ingredients.

Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking the mixture for 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Turn off the heat on the skillet. Then, using a spoon, scoop the vegetable and meatball mixture into the eggplant halves in the baking dish.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Place it in the preheated 350°F (177°C) oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

After 30 minutes of baking, remove the aluminum foil from the baking dish. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top of each eggplant half.

Put the uncovered baking dish back into the 350°F (177°C) oven for 5 minutes, until the Parmesan cheese has melted and turned golden on top.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Serve the Italian - style meatball stuffed eggplant with additional warmed marinara sauce.