More eggplant

January 13, 2015

Every once in a while, you come across a recipe that you think... well, maybe not... The only reason I attempted this recipe was because I made a special commitment to make all the recipes in the GTLF series. If it weren't for the commitment, I would never attempt something like this mostly because it's vegetarian and also because it's eggplant and like I've said before... I've had very few experiences with eggplant.  Up to now I've always just seen it as foreign and alien.  But here it is... try it, it is beyond doubt very delicious, interesting to look at and quite filling.

Eggplant Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese

GTLF: Meatless Main Dishes p. 89

serves 4, working time 20 minutes, total time 45 min. plus cooling time

2 eggplants ( 1 pound each)

2 tsp olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 C chopped caned no salt added tomatoes

15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 C chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 C low fat (1%) cottage cheese

1/2 C part skim riotta cheese

1 C unseasoned stuffing mix

1 Tablespoon slivered almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Halve the eggplants lengthwise.  With a paring knife, cut the pulp from the eggplants, leaving a 1/2 in. thick shell.  Cut the removed pulp into 1/2 in. chunks. Transfer the shells to a 13x9 in. glass baking dish.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking over medium heat.  Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the scallions are softened, about 1 minute.  Add the diced eggplant, stirring to coat.  Stir in the tomatoes, beans, basil, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the eggplant mixture to a bowl and cook to room tempertaure.

3. Stir in the cottage cheese, ricotta, stuffing mix, and almonds into the eggplant mixture.  Spoon the mixture into the eggplant shells and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is pipping hot and the shells are tender.  Divee among 4 plates and serve.

Nutritional Information: 8 g fat, 317 calories, 2.4 g saturated fat,47 g carbohydrate, 18 g protein, 11 mg cholesterol, 775 mg sodium.