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Baked Stuffed Eggplant

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/stuffed_eggplant.html

From EatingWell:  September/October 2011

These stuffed eggplants are filled with peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Serve along with olives, hummus, warm pita and tabbouleh for a fantastic vegetarian feast.

4 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

Ingredients

• 2 small-to-medium Italian eggplants (6-8 inches long, 10-12 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut lengthwise into quarters
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
2. Remove leaves from eggplants, but leave the stems on. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, through the stem. Using a small sharp knife, make a deep slit lengthwise down the flesh side of each eggplant half: start about 1 inch below the stem and stop about 1 inch from the bottom. Do not cut completely through the skin.
3. Brush the eggplant all over with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle the eggplant flesh with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place cut-side down in the prepared roasting pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, quarter and thinly slice onion. Finely chop garlic. Thinly slice 1 bell pepper quarter and set aside; dice the remaining pepper. Cut 1 tomato into 4 wedges and set aside; dice the remaining 2 tomatoes.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the diced bell pepper, the diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup parsley, sugar, bay leaves and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; discard bay leaves.
6. After the eggplant has baked for 15 minutes, remove from the oven. Carefully turn each eggplant half over and use 2 spoons to open and widen the slits. Stuff the slits with the vegetable mixture, pressing it down gently. Place a wedge of tomato in the middle of each half; evenly divide the reserved sliced pepper among the halves.
7. Add 1/4 inch hot water to the roasting pan. Drizzle the eggplant with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Bake 30 minutes more.
8. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely, refrigerate and serve cold. Garnish with the remaining 3 tablespoons parsley and lemon wedges.

Nutrition

Per serving : 192 Calories; 13 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 10 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 18 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 7 g Fiber; 595 mg Sodium; 632 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Loosely cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.