Challenge #70 - Baked eggplant

I went to a Greek restaurant near me a couple of months ago and got this amazing baked eggplant.  So I thought it would be fun to create my own version.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (or 2 medium eggplants)
2 small onions or 1 large (I had a red onion and a yellow one handy, so that's what I used)
2 gloves garlic
Handful of basil
1 can diced tomatoes (I used 3/4 of a large can)
1 heaping teaspoon tomato paste
raw sheep cheese for grating (or you favorite kind)
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Step #1 - Saute onions and garlic.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.  While that is cooking, half the eggplant and make diagonal slits across the open face.  This will allow the tomato sauce to soak into the eggplant. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Step #2 - Add diced tomato and tomato paste to onions and garlic.  Cook for about 5-8 minutes.

 Step #3 - Chop up or break basil into pieces and add to sauce at end.  Let cook another few minutes.

Step #4 - Eggplant halves should be placed on a parchment lined baking tray.  Spoon sauce onto eggplant halves allowing some to get into slits.  Baked for 40-50 minutes until eggplant is tender.  Cooking time with vary depending on how thick the eggplant halves are.

Step #5 - Remove from oven.  Grate your favorite cheese on top.  Add additional fresh chopped basil for vibrant green color.

Step #6 - Enjoy.  I added sauteed broccoli rabe to the side.  

Below is a photo when you cut the eggplant so you can see what it looks like.