Eggplant (aubergine) Manicotti

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 medium eggplant (1 lb. about)
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 20 ml garlic, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/4 lb tightly packed fresh spinach (about 3 cups)
• 3 large plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 8 cooked manicotti
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 make several 1/2 inch slits on eggplant.
• 2 insert garlic slices.
• 3 bakeat 350 for 1 hour.
• 4 let cool.
• 5 peel& cut into 1-inch cubes.
• 6 cut pepper in half lengthwise.
• 7 place pepper, with skin side up on a baking sheet.
• 8 flatten with palm of hand.
• 9 broil 3 inches from heat 10 minutes or until charred.
• 10 place in ice water, let stand 5 minute.
• 11 remove from water, peel& discard skins.
• 12 knife blade in processor; add eggplant, pepper, tomatoes, thyme& salt.
• 13 process mixture until chopped.
• 14 stuff each shell with 1/3 cup mixture.
• 15 put in baking dish coated with spray.
• 16 cover& bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
• 17 wash processor bowl& blade.
• 18 combine spinach cottage cheese, lemonjuice,& pepper in processor& process until smooth.
• 19 spoon spinach mixture over shells and sprinkle with parmesan.
• 20 cover and let stand 5 minutes.