Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 zucchini, chopped chunky
• 1 -2 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup green olives, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 ounces monterey jack cheese or 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 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, olives and seasonings and heat through. 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.
• 7 you can add other vegetables like mushrooms, hot peppers, shredded carrots if you've got them.
• 8 bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggplant is hot and the cheese is bubbly.