Here’s another recipe for stuffed eggplant which would also work great for zucchini. Those of you who’ve followed me for awhile know how much I love eggplant! This recipe doesn’t use any starchy foods – no rice, pasta, bread crumbs, etc. Instead, it adds some cooked spaghetti squash to the stuffing! Delicious, very rich tasting. I didn’t but a dash of allspice (or nutmeg) would add even more depth to these flavors.
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut in half:
1 small spaghetti squash
2 large eggplants (longer works better than rounder)
These will both take approximately the same amount of time to cook since the spaghetti squash doesn’t want to be overcooked or the strands turn to mush. Remove the seeds from the squash. Rub the halves of the squash and the eggplant with:
4-6 tablespoons olive oil total for all six pieces
Cut x’s in the eggplant and stab with a fork on the skin side (be sure to use Italian eggplant for these not Oriental ones). Place the squash skin side up and the eggplant skin side down on a large cookie sheet and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes until the squash is tender when stabbed with a knife and the eggplant is starting to turn translucent in the middle. If the eggplants are very round they will take longer to cook through.
Leave both squash and eggplant to cool a little while the filling is cooked. In an 10-12 inch skillet, heat over medium heat:
1 tablespoon oil
When its shimmering (hot), add:
2 sweet Italian sausage removed from the casing (or hot if your family prefers them) [OPTIONAL]
Stir and cook the sausage until it’s almost cooked through before adding:
1 medium onion peeled and diced
1 medium sweet pepper diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 ounces of sliced shitake mushrooms
Cover and simmer over medium low heat until the vegetables are softened. Remove cover and add:
1 to 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce [see recipe under sauces or use jarred]
Cover again and leave over low heat. Use a fork to remove the flesh from the spaghetti squash, going from stem to bud end lengthwise not across the squash. It should come off in strands that look like spaghetti unless it’s overcooked. It will still work just won’t look like spaghetti in the filling. Also use a sharp spoon to detach the center flesh of the eggplant, cut it into pieces. Be sure to leave about a 1/4 inch of eggplant in the skins. Add the removed eggplant to the filling along with:
2 cups of the spaghetti squash (should be about equal to both halves of the squash depending on size)
Mix the squash and eggplant into the filling in the skillet. Place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet and fill generously with the filling. Sprinkle with:
1/4 to 1/2 cup non-dairy cheese (I used Parmesan but any cheese your family likes will work)
Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 depending on the size of the eggplant.
cookingwithoutallergens 