Many civilizations serve stuffed eggplant for good reason. Besides being healthful, eggplants are versatile and tasty. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants make this veggie a fantastic meal complement.
2 medium eggplants
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch chili flakes
1 bay leaf
Ingredient
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
½ cup red wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 pinch nutmeg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Direction
Heat oven to 350 F.Score eggplants crisscross after halving them. To roast eggplant, coat it with 2 tablespoons olive oil and arrange it flesh-side down.
1
Bake eggplant till tender, 45 minutes. Transfer remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium heat.
2
Sauté garlic and onion for 4-5 minutes. Cook ground turkey in the pan for 3–4 minutes until no longer pink.
3
Add oregano, cinnamon, chili flakes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes, red wine, and chicken stock.
4
Lower heat to medium-low and simmer turkey mixture for 20 minutes. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to produce bechamel sauce.
5
Add flour and stir vigorously to make roux. To make a thick, creamy sauce, slowly whisk milk into the roux.
6
Remove sauce from heat and add nutmeg. Remove most of the eggplant flesh and roughly cut it after cooking. Adding eggplant flesh to turkey mixture, remove bay leaf.
7
Arrange hollow eggplants in a baking dish. Fill hollowed eggplants with turkey mixture. Bake cheddar cheese and béchamel sauce for 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve hot.