Hungree Girl: Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant

I am a devout eggplant lover. Between my mom and I, eggplant is a religion. Whether we have it parm, melanzanne, or just simply sautéed, we love that big purple plant. Well, I was cooking dinner tonight and I decided I just wasn't in the mood for meat *very rare btw*. I needed a quick carnivorous break and turned to some eggplant to help me out. So, I created a new spin on one of my favorite vegetables that had everyone licking their plates. This one has officially joined the recipe book. It's great for not only vegetarians, but all vegetable lovers alike. Eggplants get stuffed with a hearty saucy mixture of onions, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, squash and topped with some parmesan cheese. It's simple, easy, and tastes like a garden paradise.

Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant, serves 6

Ingredients

olive oil
6 large eggplant, NO Japanese, use the big hearty ones
1 large vidalia onion
2 zucchini
2 squash
3 tomatoes
1/2 cup marinara sauce
4 cloves diced garlic
salt

Recipe: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve your eggplant horizontally. Scoop out the white centers of the eggplant, leaving a shell that will get stuffed later. Save half of the fillings from the 6 eggplants, and discard the rest or use for something else. Sprinkle the eggplant "shells" with a drizzle of olive oil and arrange them in a casserole dish. Put in the oven for 20 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, chop the eggplant filling into 1/2 inch cubes. Chop the vidalia onion, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes in roughly the same size, about 1/2 inch pieces. Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Once hot add the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then, add the onions and eggplant filling. Let the onions and eggplant get a little sear and cook them until they start to soften, about 10 minutes. Next, add the zucchini, squash and tomatoes. Cook, stirring every so often, until the zucchini begins to become tender. Once all the vegetables are fork tender, add the marinara sauce and season with salt.

Remove the eggplant "shells" from the oven. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the shells and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove after 20 minutes.
Finally, bring your oven to a broil. Top your eggplants with parmesan cheese and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes.