Cheesy Vegetable-Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:

• 2 small eggplants
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Pinch black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces no salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 cup no salt-added petite diced tomatoes (or 4 Roma tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil, dried
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack, shredded
• 4 Tablespoons Parmesan, grated

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Trim the stems from the eggplant, and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the pulp from the center of each half, leaving about a half-inch shell.
3. If your eggplants are large, soak them in a quart of water with an added tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes to remove any bitter flavor.
4. Remove the eggplants from the brine and rinse off the salt then pat them dry.
5. Cube the pulp into a medium dice. Place a large saute pan over moderate heat, then add the oil.
6. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, zucchini, pepper, and cubed eggplant. Cook, stirring until very tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings and heat through.
7. Lightly spray the cut edges of the eggplant with nonstick cooking spray, then spoon a quarter of the mixture into each shell. Top each eggplant with a quarter of the cheeses. Place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggplant is hot and the cheese is bubbly.

Number of Servings: 4

 

Recipe taken from:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1074662