Cheesy Vegetable-Stuffed Eggplant

This easy, cheesy eggplant packs a mean veggie punch! A simple vegetarian meal that even meat-eaters will love.

2 small eggplants (see Note)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 small zucchini, chopped
Pinch of black pepper
1⁄2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium petite diced canned tomatoes (or 4 plum [Roma] tomatoes, peeled, deseeded, and diced)
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

From The SparkPeople Cookbook

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Trim the stems from the eggplant, and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the pulp from the center of each half, leaving about 1⁄2-inch shell of flesh.
3. Cube the eggplant pulp into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place a large sauté pan over moderate heat, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, zucchini, black pepper, and the cubed eggplant. Cook, stirring until very tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, thyme, and basil; and heat through.
4. Lightly spray the cut edges of the eggplant with nonstick cooking spray, then spoon one quarter of the vegetable mixture into each shell. Top each eggplant with one-fourth of the Monterrey Jack and Parmesan.
5. Place the stuffed eggplants in the prepared baking pan and bake until the eggplant is hot and the cheese is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Note: Use small eggplants of about 1⁄2 pound each if you can. The larger the eggplant, the more bitter it will be. The small, thin Japanese eggplants would also work well here.