Eggplant stuffed with quinoa
5
Points®
Total time: 1 hr 10 min • Prep: 18 min • Cook: 52 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
This is a hearty eggplant dish the whole family can get behind, and it makes a great school night dinner paired with a fresh tomato salad on the side. Fat eggplant boats hold a flavorful, but easy to prepare fillng that gets its heft from a helping of veggie sausage and the ancient South American grain, quinoa, (actually the seeds of the flowering amaranth plant). For the fluffiest quinoa, use one part quinoa to two parts water and simmer, uncovered, until the water is fully absorbed. Then remove the quinoa from heat and cover, allowing it to steam while you prepare the eggplant and onion filling. Browned panko crumbs are a delicious topping for this dish. If you'd like yours even crisper, place the baked eggplants under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes just before serving.
Ingredients
Eggplant
2 medium, halved lengthwise, stem end trimmed
Olive oil
3 tsp
Uncooked onion
1 medium, chopped
Garlic
3 clove(s), finely chopped
Table salt
¾ tsp
Canned diced tomatoes
14½ oz, drained and juice reserved
Meatless sausage
4 oz, refrigerated veggie sausage
Cooked quinoa
¾ cup(s)
Black pepper
¼ tsp
Reduced fat feta cheese
⅓ cup(s), crumbled
Whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup(s)
Fresh thyme
1 tsp, chopped
Instructions
1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9 x 13-inch baking dish lightly with nonstick spray.
2
Run paring knife around inside of each eggplant ½ inch from edge. Scoop out flesh with spoon leaving ½-inch-thick shells. Coarsely chop flesh.
3
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, covered, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped eggplant and ¼ teaspoon salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender, about 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tomatoes, veggie sausage, quinoa, pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
4
Sprinkle eggplant shells with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Spoon filling into shells and place in prepared baking dish; sprinkle evenly with feta. Add enough water to reserved tomato juice to equal ¾ cup. Pour around eggplant into bottom of baking dish. Mix panko, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in small bowl. Sprinkle over filling. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until eggplant shells are tender and crumbs are browned, about another 15 minutes.
5
Serving size: 1 stuffed eggplant half
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