Healthy Veggie and Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

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I came up with this recipe when I was looking for a way to enjoy traditional Italian cooking without breaking the calorie bank!  I traded a little extra virgin olive oil for the heavy amount of butter in the original and ramped up the flavor with a variety of vegetables.  I also traded the usual pork sausage with turkey Italian sausage, which is one of my favorite subs for many recipes.


Healthy Stuffed Eggplant with Italian Sausage
by Mary deSilva

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound turkey Italian sausage, casing removed
2 eggplants
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb (or use celery)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 zucchini, shredded
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinara Sauce (recipe below or use your favorite Italian red sauce)
Grated parmesan cheese
Garnish: fresh parsley or fresh basil, chopped 

Directions: 


  1. Cut eggplants in half and spread a little olive oil on the cut side.  Lay eggplant cut side down in a baking dish and bake at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.  
  2. Remove pan from oven and turn eggplant over and allow to cool.  Scoop eggplant pulp out and chop. 
  3. In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil and add Italian sausage.  Break up sausage as it cooks until done.  Remove with a slotted spoon.
  4. Add onion and fennel and cook for 3 minutes.  Add remaining vegetables and dry seasonings and cook until tender.  Add a little more olive oil if necessary. 
  5. When vegetables are cooked, add cooked sausage and stir.  
  6. Allow to stuffing to cool.
  7. Add bread crumbs and egg and stir to bind stuffing together.  
  8. Pour a little Marinara in the baking pan.  
  9. Stuff the eggplant shells with stuffing and place in the pan.  Spoon Marinara sauce on top of each eggplant half and  sprinkle with a mixture of bread crumbs (optional) and parmesan cheese.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the top is browned. 

Easy Marinara sauce:
1 Onion - Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced
Olive Oil
1 Can of Crushed Tomatoes
a handful of fresh Basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried basil)

  1. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions and garlic are soft and translucent.
  2. Add the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. 10 minutes with the lid on, and 10 minutes with the lid off.

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