| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 1 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound penne pasta
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian pork sausage
- 1/4 cup Marsala wine
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
- 1 1/2 cups diced smoked mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
- 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1/4 cup
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
- Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and pork, and brown the meat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the peas and marinara sauce and stir to combine. Add the cheeses, basil, and cooked pasta. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the springform pan with the grilled eggplant. Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale. Bake the timbale until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set. To serve, invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. Slice and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 789 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Sugar | 15 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 103 mg |
| Sodium | 1222 mg |
Reviews
This was absolutely fantastic! What a presentation. I added some crushed red pepper flakes and a little Italian herb blend and ground turkey meat, but other than that made as written. We grilled our eggplant on our gas BBQ. Guests loved it! This recipe also can easily feed six people, maybe even eight. depending on appetites. Allow for rest time next be sure it is heated through! I made it ahead of time and put in refrigerator; took it out about an hour before going in oven to bring to room temperature. It needed more than 30 minutes in oven. I love how you can make it up way ahead of time..even day before and then have a wonderful presentation for a dinner party.
We have loads of huge eggplants and basil from our garden – always looking for new recipes to try, plus we love Giada recipes. This did not disappoint! I mostly followed the recipe – but did not have pork so just used ground beef. I also have an abundance of Thai basil in my garden and used that instead of sweet. I used our inherited 1970’s mandoline to cut the eggplant to 1/4 inch. Only change I’ll make is to actually use my grill to char the eggplant as opposed to my grill pan. It would have a better presentation I think.
A show stopper! Beautiful and delicious too. Makes a great and festive presentation as well!
One of my new go-to dinner for company. I use more sausage, beef, and cheeses than in this recipe. It is perfect every time. I also cook it for 40 minutes, but that is because I add more ingredients than called for in the recipe.
This was terrific. Next time I will slice my eggplant a tad thicker as when grilling some of the thinner ones got a bit charred. I did salt them first per some of the other reviews. I also subbed ground turkey as we don’t eat beef. Important to invert prior to releasing the pan (I goofed but then tried to fix). A definite do-over and would be very impressive for company. Mine didn’t slice perfectly like Giada’s but came close. Even better the next day for leftovers. Absolutely delicious!
Fantastic dish, hearty and flavorful. My wife is dairy free so we substituted dairy free Parmesan and Mozzarella and did not notice much of a difference. Lacked a springform pan, but was able to improvise with a cake pan lined with parchment paper. 10/10, will be making this one again!
Would love to post my photo of finished product; I love timbale dishes (Al Forno in Providence RI) and this recipe does not disappoint. It came out beautifully; thank you Giada!
This is SO delicious and such a show stopper. Unlike prior reviews I found that the springform pan not only fit it all but I actually added a little extra pasta. Closer to 3/4 of a pound. Made the ragu and eggplant slices the prior day and assembled with cheese and pasta the day of serving. Coated the springform with butter and mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese and then assembled and put more of the breadcrumb mixture on top right before baking. Once assembled I put in fridge with a plate and can’t on top to pack it down. Held together beautifully and was nice and brown on top. Also I found that two eggplants were more than enough. Even better as leftovers.
We are vegetarian this is amazing without the meat. Instead of the meat we use portobello and cremini mushrooms. Always looking for good recipes I can make without meat.
We loved this have made it again and again.