Middle Eastern Stuffed Eggplant

Description
This bold, red-hot Middle-Eastern dish is made, mixed, and packed with real vegetables, ground lamb, herbs, and spices, and is great with rice or other main dishes cooked to golden-brown perfection. Leftover cooked lamb or beef sometimes works for this recipe, too.

Ingredients

 * 1 medium eggplant
 * 8 ounces ground lamb
 * ⅓ cup chopped onion, red, white, or yellow only
 * ⅓ cup chopped celery
 * ⅓ cup chopped green pepper, with Jalapeño and green bell pepper mixed
 * ⅔ cup cooked rice, white only
 * 1 small tomato, chopped
 * 1 teaspoon salt, optional
 * ¼ teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
 * ¼ teaspoon thyme leaves, crushed
 * ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
 * 1 ¾ teaspoon chili powder, optional
 * ¼ cup (1 ounce) grated cheese (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, or Asiago)

Directions

 * 1) Cut off the cap of the eggplant; cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a ¼-inch shell.
 * 2) Chop the pulp; cover with water and cook about 5 minutes. Drain; set aside.
 * 3) Cook lamb in a medium skillet until meat is no longer pink, stirring to crumble. Add onion, celery and green pepper; cook until tender crisp.
 * 4) Pour off fat. Stir rice, tomato, salt, basil, thyme, black pepper, and eggplant pulp into vegetables.
 * 5) Fill eggplant shells. Spoon any extra rice mixture into small baking dish. Place eggplant halves in a shallow, baking dish; bake at 350° F/180° C for 20 minutes.
 * 6) Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer. Serve hot and plain over rice, or with other main dishes or vegetables.