Recipe Of The Week: Stuffed Eggplant

Try preparing eggplant in a new way with this delicious stuffing of chicken sausage, garbanzo beans, and veggies. The presentation is fun and beautiful and won’t go unnoticed.

Ingredients

3 large eggplants
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely diced
3 Greek or Italian style chicken sausage (about 10-12 ounces), finely chopped
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
1 15-ounce can diced tomato
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

RELATED: Vegetarian Chili

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper, and salt and sauté for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken sausage, basil and oregano and sauté another minute.
4. On a cutting board, lay out the garbanzo beans, run a knife through them until they are roughly chopped.
5. Add the garbanzo beans, diced tomato, sundried tomato and wine to the pan. Let simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed.
6. In the meantime, wash and dry the eggplant and then cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop the innards out of the eggplant leaving about a ¼ – ½ inch shell.
7. Place the eggplant into two 9×11 inch baking dishes prepared with non-stick cooking spray (3 halves in each pan). Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake 25-30 minutes, until the eggplant cooks through. If the top starts to burn, gently cover with foil.

Ideas for the eggplant innards: Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425 degrees; sauté in a pan with basil and tomatoes and use for an omelet or frittata.

More recipes from Jessica Cerra.

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