Meatless Monday: Greek Style Stuffed Eggplant

Ok, so Meatless Monday's have become all the rage here as of late.  My husband and I try to eat healthy. So we thought we should give this Meatless Monday a try. I picked eggplant because I am familiar with it as well as it is a hearty dish. This is the EASIEST stuffed eggplant I've ever made.  Eggplant has a very mild flavor, which means it can go with everything! One thing I love about this recipe is it provided us with leftovers for the next night which is always nice it allows us to hang out, enjoy the outdoors, our dogs and each other!

Here is our recipe:

2 eggplant; cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup of water
cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup white wine (I used a Riesling white wine)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce bread crumbs
2 tablespoons, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise;  Carefully cut the pulp out of the eggplant make sure to reserve the shell of the eggplant. (If during the process you slice through the shell its not a big deal) Place the eggplant shells center side down in a 10-inch square baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water to the dish. Cover and microwave at HIGH between 3 - 5 minutes.  Leave in the microwave to keep them warm. Now roughly chop the pulp, it will be approximately 6 cups of chopped pulp.

2. Preheat broiler

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan HEAVILY with baking spray. Add chopped eggplant pulp. Sauté the eggplant for approx.. 7 minutes; until tender. Add chopped onion, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Now for the fun stuff! Stir in the wine, garlic and tomatoes. I cooked this for about 3 minutes but you need the liquid to evaporate to adjust your cooking time as necessary. 

4. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add Feta, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix together!  I was able to use about 1 cup of the mixture in each eggplant shell. Once you  get all the mixture in each shell, place your baking dish into the preheated oven. Let it broil for about 2-3 minutes just to brown the top and add a little crunch.

Prep: about 22 minutes
Cook: about 19 minutes

Since this recipe is packed full of vegetables. I made some Quinoa to go with this. Which has a great nutty flavor and also is a vegetable, but it is cooks and looks like a grain, HOW COOL IS THAT!?!? It's so delicious I highly suggest trying it out! One way I make Quinoa a little different than the box says is by adding  vegetable broth instead of water.  Good Luck!

Let me know how you celebrate Meatless Monday!