Eggplant: Is it Anyone's Favorite Veggie???

Eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper stuffed with ricotta

My mother dropped off two eggplants and a pile of zucchini the other day...what on Earth was I going to do with the eggplant? Is it really anyone's favorite thing to eat? Once it's prepared I always like it, but it is never the first thing I think about making.  At this time of the year, anyone who has a garden that is growing eggplant is wondering what can I make with this besides eggplant Parmigiana. (Which is heavy and messy to make)??  I have one solution for you!

I love this recipe because the veggies are grilled first. Slice the squash and eggplant into fairly thin slices lengthwise, brush with oil and grill until there are marks on both sides.  Grill the peppers whole until charred then peel off skin when they are cool. Stack up eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup Ricotta, 1/4 C grated Parmigiano cheese, 1 egg, a handful of fresh basil chopped, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Layer 1-2 Tbs filling on top of the veggie stack. Roll up and place on top of sauce.

The sauce is the easiest part...open a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and put them into the bottom of a shallow casserole dish.  Add 1 Tbs chopped onion, 1 chopped clove of garlic, a bunch of chopped basil, salt and pepper.  Add a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each roll and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.