Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese & Rosemary Stuffed Eggplants

This is my bacon hurrah(!) to Summer and a mention of the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Because I was just barely cool enough to go there once this summer. I scored an exploding bag of baby heirloom eggplants and wanted to get crazy delicious with them, so, duh, just add bacon.

I actually made two types of stuffed eggplants. The above is a Rosa Bianca eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and rosemary. Below are Japanese eggplants stuffed with blue cheese. In the end, everyone preferred the Japanese-blue cheese, however, if the goat cheese ones were cooked longer (only baked for 40 mins), they could have been a game changer. Regardless, if you love eggplants as much as I do (and bacon and cheese) then get after these!

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Eggplants

1 packaged of bacon (I used Trader Joe's applewood smoked bacon)
1 lb of baby eggplants
1/2 cup cheese (goat, blue, try something new?)
Rosemary sprigs
Foil
Toothpicks/skewers

• Heat oven to 400 degree F.
• Spread foil on two large baking sheets.
• Make deep lengthwise slices on the eggplants.
• Stuff with cheese and rosemary.
• Wrap with an entire piece of bacon or sometimes half a slice of bacon depending on the size of the eggplant.
• Secure with toothpick or skewer, depending on the size.
• Bake for 50 minutes, turning eggplants over half way through.

This is my bacon hurrah(!) to Summer and a mention of the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Because I was just barely cool enough to go there once this summer. I scored an exploding bag of baby heirloom eggplants and wanted to get crazy delicious with them, so, duh, just add bacon.

I actually made two types of stuffed eggplants. The above is a Rosa Bianca eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and rosemary. Below are Japanese eggplants stuffed with blue cheese. In the end, everyone preferred the Japanese-blue cheese, however, if the goat cheese ones were cooked longer (only baked for 40 mins), they could have been a game changer. Regardless, if you love eggplants as much as I do (and bacon and cheese) then get after these!

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Eggplants

1 packaged of bacon (I used Trader Joe's applewood smoked bacon)
1 lb of baby eggplants
1/2 cup cheese (goat, blue, try something new?)
Rosemary sprigs
Foil
Toothpicks/skewers

• Heat oven to 400 degree F.
• Spread foil on two large baking sheets.
• Make deep lengthwise slices on the eggplants.
• Stuff with cheese and rosemary.
• Wrap with an entire piece of bacon or sometimes half a slice of bacon depending on the size of the eggplant.
• Secure with toothpick or skewer, depending on the size.
• Bake for 50 minutes, turning eggplants over half way through.