Rice & Feta Stuffed Baby Eggplant

  Posted on February 12, 2010  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

Little Baby Eggplant

The other day I bought the cutest little baby eggplants in a small ethnic produce market.  They are so cute, that they should be tucked up in bed!  Anyway, I’ve been trying to decide what on earth to do with them.  I settled on a recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  You stuff them with rice and sautéed vegetables.

Rice & Feta Stuffed Baby Eggplant

Serves 4

2 cups chopped tomato
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt, divided
6 baby eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut in half lengthwise
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
Parsley sprigs (optional)u

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine tomato, dry white wine, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; spread evenly.

Scoop pulp from eggplant halves, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Chop pulp. Sprinkle inside surfaces of eggplant shells with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet oven medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in eggplant pulp, basil, and jalapeño; cover, reduce heat, and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Remove from heat; stir in rice, cheese, and parsley.

Spoon about 1/4 cup eggplant mixture into each eggplant shell, pressing gently; place shells, cut sides up, over tomato mixture in baking dish. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake an additional 15 minutes or until shells are tender. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato mixture over each eggplant half. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.