Healthy Baked Stuffed Eggplant

This is delicious as well as healthy. Although you can use lean ground beef in the recipe, lean ground turkey works beautifully. Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese is optional but adds to the taste. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 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)

Directions

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.