This is an easy version of Greek 'papoutsakia', meaning 'little shoes'. Just make a simple tomato & cinnamon ragu sauce and stuff aubergines with it. Finally top with feta cheese and serve with Greek yoghurt. If you like moussaka, you'll love this!
Cut the aubergines/eggplants in half lengthwise, then score deeply all around the edge of each half, about 1cm in from the edge. Then score again deeply in a criss-cross pattern inside the border, being careful not to cut through the skin at the bottom. Scoop out the flesh with a big spoon and put aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cinnamon and cook for another 30 seconds, then add the scooped-out eggplant/aubergine and cook for 5 minutes or so until that is soft as well.
Add the mince meat to the pan and break up and stir for about another 5 minutes. Add in the passata, stock/wine, oregano, parsley and rice and season to taste.
Put the aubergine/eggplant halves in a baking dish/on a baking tray and fill each with the meat mixture. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Drizzle over a little olive oil and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the aubergines/eggplants are soft enough.
To serve, sprinkle over a little parsley and dollop over a big spoon of Greek yoghurt. Also serve with a simple chopped tomato salad with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil, if you like.
Notes
This is equally as tasty if you use zucchini/courgettes or tomatoes instead of eggplant/aubergines. You can even use a mixture of all three vegetables!