Italian Stuffed Vegetables (Zucchini, Bell Peppers, or Eggplants

A great way to serve up a delicious dish with healthy veggies! I know there are a lot of similar recipes out there but this stuffing does not call for rice so I thought I'd add my version. I think this dish stands great on it's own but a little side of linguine or angel hair pasta (which can be found in my recipes) might make for a more complete presentation. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  small onion, grated
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped Italian parsley
• 1  large egg
• 3  tablespoons ketchup
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄3 cup  grated romano cheese
• 1⁄3 cup  dried breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned)
• 1  lb ground turkey (preferrably dark meat)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  marinara sauce
• 1  zucchini, ends removed and halved lengthwise
• 1  eggplant, ends removed and halved lengthwise
• 3  assorted bell peppers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Lightly drizzle ~2 tbsp olive oil into a baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, salt, garlic, and black pepper.
4. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs.
5. Mix in turkey until all is well combined.
6. Cover and refrigerate.
7. Now take your zucchini and eggplant and carefully scrape out the seeds and some of the inner flesh, creating a pocket for the stuffing while still leaving a pretty thick shell.
8. Halve and seed the bell peppers then fill all the vegetables with the turkey mixture, mounding slightly.
9. Arrange stuffed vegetables in the baking dish, pour marinara sauce over everything and sprinkle with some more of the grated Romano (I like to use freshly grated Parmesan).
10. Bake uncovered about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.