Stuffed Eggplant Paremesan

I tried out this new recipe last night. As I was cooking, I made a few changes which are included below. My husband came home from work and commented on how good it smelled. When he started eating he said that this was like an amazing dish from a fine Italian restaurant. He couldn't believe that there was no meat in the dish. It was hearty enough with just the veggies. Needless to say, there were no leftovers.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium eggplant, cut in half lengthwise and hollowed out to 1/4 inch flesh rim (reserve centers)

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp Italian seasonings

1/8 tsp Herbs de Provence

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coarse Kosher Salt to taste

1 cup of chopped mushrooms (or one can "Stems and Pieces" drained)

3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Roughly chop eggplant centers. To the skillet add chopped eggplant, onion, garlic, Italian seasonings, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Place hollowed out eggplant shells into a shallow baking dish.

Spoon mixture back into eggplant, and sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley. Cover with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is fork-tender and cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.