At work one day, I was mentioning to a fellow coworker who loves to cook that I had purchased a beautiful eggplant at the Maitland Farmer's Market the previous day and hadn't a clue what to do with it now that I had acquired it. A patient in my room overheard me and gave me a recipe that has been a success with my family and that has been passed around the office. I've already sent my thank-you letter, but again, I say THANK YOU!
The original recipe called for diced chicken. I have not tried adding soy-chicken to the dish. I'm quite happy as it is. This can be a nice supper all its own, but we have also served it as an appetizer with a light pasta dish for a fancier meal.
Recipe for Stuffing Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut eggplant in half, and carve out insides of eggplant leaving shell in tact.
- Dice insides of eggplant and put into mixing bowl.
- Add a can (drained) of diced tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced onion, and olive oil to coat mixture.
- Mix thoroughly adding salt and pepper to taste.(Remember, you can always add more of this at the table.)
- Stuff mixture back into eggplant shells.
- Top with sliced Mozzarella or Jarlsberg Cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Place shells in center of jelly roll pan and place pan in oven.
- Cook until cheese is browned, about 30 minutes.
- Top with fresh chopped basil just before removing from oven.
- Serve with fresh French bread, olive oil, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.
