Mediterranean Turkey Stuffed Eggplant Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY STUFFED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Slice eggplants in half lengthwise. Leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edges and cutting deep but taking care not to pierce skin, score eggplant flesh diagonally one way and then diagonally the other way to form a diamond pattern. Brush each eggplant half with 1 tsp olive oil, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
• Place eggplant halves on baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until flesh is golden. Remove from oven to let cool a bit.
• When eggplants are cool enough to touch scoop out the flesh and chop it into cubes.
• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add turkey to skillet, along with oregano, paprika, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook turkey, breaking up with a spatula or fork, until cooked through. Drain excess oil from skillet if necessary. Stir in tomatoes, olives, feta, and chopped eggplant and cook for another minute.
• Remove skillet from heat and stir in Hood Sour Cream.
• Stuff eggplants with turkey mixture and sprinkle panko over the top of each eggplant.
• Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Then turn broiler on and broil for 2-3 minutes, until tops of eggplants are golden.
• Garnish eggplants with chopped parsley, additional chopped tomato, and additional sour cream if desired.

TURKEY STUFFED EGGPLANT RECIPE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a small sharp knife, and leaving about 1/2 -inch border around the edges, score the eggplants in a criss-cross pattern reaching to the bottom of the eggplant but being careful not to pierce skin (this will make scooping out the flesh easier once it is cooked). Brush each half with olive oil, and season with a 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper.
• Place the eggplant halves, skin side down, in a baking tray and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until nicely golden-brown and tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablesoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the ground turkey, oregano, paprika, cayenne (if using) and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until brown and no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and fresh thyme and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
• Once the eggplant has cooled enough to touch, gently scoop out most of the flesh and add to the turkey mixture, leaving the shells in the baking tray. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes to let the flavours meld.
• Stuff the eggplant halves evenly with the turkey mixture. Crumble the goat cheese over top and roast for about 5-10 minutes just to heat through. TIP: If using a melty cheese such as mozzarella, turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
• If making the lemon yogurt sauce, mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl to combine.
• Garnish eggplants with chopped thyme leaves and basil. Serve with lemon-yogurt sauce, if desired.