Stuffed Mini Eggplant with Zucchini and 3 Cheeses

A friend has asked a couple of times to come up with a vegetarian dish. I actually love non meat food so I was looking forward to finding something really yummy. In addition, another person asked for a squash recipe! Okay, I can do this. No prob. As I was strolling through the Minneapolis Farmer's Market I came across these absolutely adorable mini eggplants! I had to get them. Even though I had no idea what to do with them. Snatched them up, yes I did :) Next down the line were these beautiful yellow and green small zucchinis. Summer squash, right there. Oh yah.

Next up was to find a recipe that used one or both of these. I did my faithful google search and found this wonderful recipe that not only used the eggplant and squash, it also called for 3 herbs I had in my garden. Mint, parsley and basil. Cha-ching. Hitting the jackpot now. And seriously, it had 3 cheeses in it. mmm yah.

In this pan slowly simmering and steaming are the chunks of eggplant scooped out from the insides, zucchini, herbs, oil, shallot and garlic. It smelled soooo good!!!!

The instructions did not tell me HOW to steam the eggplant in the pan, so I just figured the best way would be similar to doing big squash in the oven; cut side down. It came out perfect :)

Once the eggplant had softened enough it was time to stuff. Now the item to bake these lil fellas in was tough. I first tried a square baking pan. That didn't work, they fell right over. I just stared in my cupboard and zeroed in on the mini-muffin pan. Wah lah... it worked!!

Covered in tinfoil, baked in the over for 25 minutes, they came out steaming and looking beautiful. Topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, bake into the oven for 5 mn of melting and they are done!

RECIPE
8 mini or japanese eggplants
2 tsp extra virg olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbl fresh basil
2 Tbl minced fresh parsley
2 Tbl fresh mint
1 medium zucchini (about 2 cups) pealed and chopped
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup non fat or part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 large egg
2 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese

Cut off tops of egg plants and scoop out inside leaving shell for stuffing.

Heat oil in medium sized pan over medium high heat. Add shallot, garlic, basil, parsley and mint. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Add zuchhini & eggplant and stir well to blend herbs. Add vegetable broth and turn up heat to medium high until it boils. Cover pan and reduce to medium low and simmer for 15 mn. It needs to be soft enough to mash.

Once veggies have softened, remove from pan with a slotted spoon into a mixing bowl leaving liquids behind.

Place eggplants in pan, cut side down, cover and simmer until soft (NOT MUSHY)for about 10 mn. Turn oven on to °350.

Directions said to spray a square baking pan with non stick spray but they fell over for me. I used a mini muffin pan and it worked great. A regular sized muffin pan would probably work too.

Smash the eggplant/zucchini mixture until somewhat smooth. Add the ricotta, Gruyere cheeses, bread crumbs and egg. Mix well. Stuff each mini eggplant to the top. Cover the baking dish with tinfoil. Pop into the oven for 25 mn. Uncover the foil and top with parmesan cheese. Pop back into oven for 5 mn. until cheese has melted. ENJOY!