Tag: mozzarella cheese

Eggplant Panini with Pesto

My friend gave me eggplants from her garden, and I used it to make this delicious hot pressed sandwich. If you can find a whole wheat baguette, even better! A perfect summer panini made with eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella and skinny pesto^[1] on crispy French bread. Make this for one, or for the whole family.

I love, love, LOVE Panini night in my house because everyone is happy and they are so easy to make. If you’re capable of making a grilled cheese, then you can make a panini, that’s how simple and you don’t need a fancy panini press to make it. Prior to owning my panini press, I used my George Forman grill or made them on the stove in a grill pan with an iron skillet on top to press it down.

I grilled the eggplant right on the panini press, so there’s no dirtying extra pans. A perfect Meatless Monday dish, and even the meat-lovers in your house will enjoy this sandwich.

If you’re a newbie to Skinnytaste, check out my tip on how to make a larger sandwich for less calories^[2]. If you are making this for one, simply divide the ingredients by four.

Eggplant Panini with Pesto
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 Serving Size: 1 panini • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 336 • Fat: 8.5 g • Protein: 11.4 g • Carb: 50 g • Fiber: 3.8 g • Sugar: 2.7 g
Sodium: 394 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, about 12-14 oz
kosher salt to taste
olive oil spray (I used my misto)
12 oz french bread (or baguette), cut into 4 pieces
4 slices part skim mozzarella cheese (Sargento )
2 tbsp skinny pesto ^[3]
8 thin sliced tomato

Directions:

Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the eggplant slices on a paper towel and season with salt; set aside about 30 minutes. This will help draw some of the moisture out of the eggplant. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels.

Preheat panini grill. Lightly spritz eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, grill eggplant about 7-8 minutes, turning once half way through. Set aside.

Slice the bread open and place 3 slices of grilled eggplant, 1 slice of mozzarella, 1/2 tablespoon of pesto, and 2 slices of tomatoes on each sandwich.

Close and lightly spray the top of the bread with oil. Place on a panini press and close until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted. Cut in half diagonally and eat immediately.

References

^{^} skinny pesto (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} tip on how to make a larger sandwich for less calories (www.skinny-bits.com)
^{^} skinny pesto (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Turkey Picadillo Stuffed Sweet Plantains

These sweet plantains are baked in the oven and then stuffed with a savory turkey picadillo filling and topped with cheese – pretty hard to resist! Similar to a Puerto Rican Pastelón^[1] which is really more of a plantain lasagna, instead these are made as individual boats which are easy to make, filling and perfect as a main dish.

If you’re not very familiar with plantains, they are similar to bananas only they need to be cooked. Green plantains are usually meant for salty chips or tostones, but when the plantains are very ripe, almost black, that’s when they are at their sweetest! That’s what you want here, not yellow because they won’t be sweet and soft enough. They should be soft and the skin almost black (see photo below in the directions).

The recipe calls for 6, but as you see here I made the full amount of picadillo and only baked two, and froze the meat for another day. So if you are worried this makes too much, you can easily make what you need and freeze the rest. Hope you enjoy!

Turkey Picadillo Stuffed Sweet Plantains
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 plantain • Old Pts: 7 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 338 • Fat: 6 g • Carb: 60 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 16 g • Sugar: 27 g
Sodium: 218 mg • Cholesterol: 34 mg

Ingredients:

6 medium ripe plantains, peeled
12 tbsp shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the Turkey Picadillo:

10 oz 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro
2 oz tomato sauce
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp alcaparrado (capers or green olives would work too)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Cut a slit lengthwise through the length of
the plantain about halfway through. Place them on a baking dish and bake
covered with foil until soft, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey on medium heat in large sauté pan and season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces.

Add the chopped onions, garlic, pepper, tomato and cilantro and continue cooking on a low heat. Add alcaparrado (or olives and capers) and about 2 tbsp of the brine (this adds great flavor) cumin, oregano, bay leaves, and more salt if needed. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered about 15 minutes.

Remove the plantains from the oven and fill them with 1/3 cup each of picadillo, then top each with 2 tbsp cheese. Return to the oven and bake until melted, about 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

References

^{^} Puerto Rican Pastelón (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Incoming search terms:

https://gordon-ramsay-recipe com/preparation/turkey-picadillo-stuffed-sweet-plantains html

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage

A fun twist on eggplant parmesan – these eggplant “boats” are hollowed out and stuffed with sweet Italian chicken sausage and tomato sauce, then topped with melted mozzarella – Oh ma gaaaa!

I’ve been dreaming up this recipe since last year when I created my Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats^[1]. If you love eggplant parmesan these are going to knock your socks off! My husband loved these even more than the zucchini actually, but he’s also more of an eggplant guy. I thought these were fabulous, you gotta give them a try!

I picked up some white eggplant at the farmer’s market because they looked like the perfect size to make these boats. You could use any variety as long as they aren’t too large. The pulp that gets scooped out goes right back into the stuffing so nothing gets wasted. One boat is a complete meal and super filling, you can serve it with a side salad if you have the room!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 eggplant boat • Old Points: 5 pts • Weight Watcher Points+: 7 pt
Calories: 244 • Fat: 9 g • Carb: 25 g • Fiber: 8 g • Protein: 19 g • Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 678 mg • Cholest: 50 mg

Ingredients:

2 medium (15 oz each) white eggplants, stems trimmed off and halved lengthwise
3 links (8.4 oz?) sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (I used Premio)
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes
5 basil leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
4 teaspoons grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Hollow out the flesh of the eggplant to create a boat using a melon
baller or small knife, leaving a 1/2-inch of the skin all around to
create a shell. Roughly chop the scooped out eggplant flesh.

Drop the eggplant into the boiling water and cook 3 minutes (poking it with a spoon so they stay submerged). Remove with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels on the counter.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up while it cooks into smaller pieces. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup chopped eggplant and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.

Pour 1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish and place the eggplant boats on top. Season the eggplant with salt and divide the sausage and sauce evenly among the 4 eggplant boats.

Top each with 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of Pecorino Romano cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes until cheese is melted and eggplant is cooked through.

References

^{^} Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)