Healthy Baked Stuffed Eggplant

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional) or 2 tablespoons margarine (optional)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon chervil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup no-added-salt tomato paste
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (optional) or 2 tablespoons romano cheese, grated (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 rinse eggplant and cut in half lengthwise.
• 3 remove pulp, leaving 1/2 inch of outer shell.
• 4 dice pulp and set in a bowl.
• 5 place butter or margarine, if used, in large, heavy skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• 6 add onion, mushrooms, seasonings, and meat.
• 7 saute, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until meat begins to brown.
• 8 stir in tomato paste, wheat germ if used, and eggplant pulp.
• 9 cook 5 minutes, or just until warm.
• 10 lightly spray an ovenproof dish large enough to hold two eggplant shells with vegetable oil.
• 11 spoon meat mixture into each eggplant shell and place in prepared dish. bake 20 to 30 minutes. remove from oven.
• 12 if desired, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese on top of each eggplant half before serving. then sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top of each.