2 eggplants, sliced longways
1 onion, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 1/2 cup prepared rice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
additional olive oil
salt
pepper
optional: parmesan or asiago cheese for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Using a ice cream scoop, scoop out the insides of the eggplant, leaving a 1/2 to 1/4 inch border around all edges. Discard the pulp. Sprinkle with salt and place open side down on a paper towel for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of oil in a pan and saute the onion, carrots and zucchini. When the eggplant is ready, pat dry. Brush the skin with olive oil and broil* until just tender, about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the broiler and place on a baking sheet or casserole. Add the thyme and the rice to the sauteed vegetables and cook 1 minute. Stuff the eggplant and top with a sprinkling of cheese (if desired). Bake for 5 minutes or until the filling has heated through.
*You could grill the eggplant instead.
My thoughts:
This really came about as a way to use up some rapidly deteriorating ingredients-leftover yellow rice from burrito making, a lone zucchini) I had in the fridge. There are a few steps that might seem silly but they are worth it. Salting and draining the eggplant keeps it from getting soggy and the quick trip to the broiler insures that the eggplant will be tender and cooked through, without having to bake the stuffed eggplant (and possibly drying the filling out in the process) for a long period of time.
I am always disapointed with my eggplant dishes. I do not have the purple touch I guess.
i have had a weird urge to stuff things, and this sounds good! do you not eat most of the eggplant though? i’m not sure what you could do with the pulp that would be tasty. hmm.
You could stuff the eggplant with it’s own pulp or saute it along side the other veggies. This particular eggplant had extremely large, chewy seeds so I didn’t bother.
Why have I never thought to use an ice cream scoop? Thanks for the tip!
Good things to do with the eggplant pulp: stick it in a food processor with roasted garlic and olive oil and use it as a sandwich spread.
These kind of recipes are why I come here! I agree, the ice-cream scoop is genius, and the recipe is easy, not fussy, and sure to be tasty. You have great idea without even an ounce of pretention. I LOVE that! Thanks.
i love me some eggplant & this looks awesome! i will definitely be giving it a try. thanks!
This looks great and perfectly colorful for summer. It is a little different way to use an eggplant. And the blueberry pie looks quite yummy…
Great photo, hon! And I like the stuffed eggplant idea – I’ll have to keep a weather eye out for some big stuffable eggplants to give this idea a go!
I tried this and it came out great. I had a giant eggplant, so I had to cook it a bit longer. Thanks for your great vegetable ideas!