Stuffed Eggplant

This Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant is delicious, filling, and healthy. Loaded with veggies and topped with bubbly, melty cheese, this meal is vegetarian and can be customized to be vegan too. These eggplants are bursting with flavor, color, and nutrition!

The best part is that stuffed eggplants are so easy to make. Make the filling, stuff the eggplants, bake, and serve. So simple! Serve them as a healthy side dish or as a main entree.

Why You'll Love These Stuffed Eggplants

• It’s a healthy vegetarian meal. This vegetarian stuffed eggplant recipe is full of healthy filling ingredients packed with nutrition. You could even add in some cooked chickpeas, rice, or couscous to make it even more filling.
• The baked eggplant. Eggplant is one of those vegetables that you either love or hate — and we love it. These eggplants are seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, and, pepper before being stuffed. The result is a tender, juicy eggplant with a complex flavor that is so good.
• The filling. The delicious vegetarian filling is loaded with veggies including eggplant (of course!), zucchini, onion, and bell peppers. It’s loaded with even more flavor thanks to garlic and tomato sauce which pairs perfectly with the seasoned veggies.
• The cheesy topping. What makes this stuffed vegetable even better is the gooey, melty, and bubble cheese topping. You can leave it out to make the recipe vegan but if you don’t have any dietary restrictions, then I highly recommend keeping it as is.

Ingredient Notes

To make delicious Stuffed Eggplant, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• eggplants- look for large eggplant which will provide lots of flesh for the filling and a good base to stuff.
• olive oil
• onion + garlic - adds flavor to the filling that you can’t skip or substitute.
• zucchini
• red bell pepper - or substitute with other types of bell pepper.
• tomato paste + tomato sauce
• seasoning - simple seasoning consisting of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• cheese - we top these eggplants with shredded mozzarella cheese. You can substitute with any melty cheese such cheddar cheese.
• parsley - optional, to garnish on top when serving.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a 4 quart Dutch oven or large skillet, and a half sheet baking pan or 9x13-inch casserole dish.

How to Customize

You can customize this recipe by switching up the vegetables in the filling. Try it with carrots, mushrooms, or cauliflower.

You can also add in a grain or beans such as cooked couscous, rice, quinoa, chickpeas, andor lentils.

How to Make the Best Stuffed Eggplant

First, prep the eggplants.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh from the inside, leaving a ½-inch border on the sides and bottom.

Season the eggplant shells evenly with salt and pepper.

Dice the eggplant flesh and set aside.

Next, make the filling.

1. Heat olive oil in a 4 quart Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat until the oil is sizzling hot, about 1 minute.
2. Add onion, garlic, zucchini, bell pepper, and eggplant flesh. Sauté until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomato sauce and cook until thickened to a desired consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure cooking evenly.

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Assemble and bake.

Fill each eggplant shell with the filling. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese on top.

Place the stuffed eggplants on a large half sheet baking pan or 9x13-inch casserole pan and bake in a 375F preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the cheese is melty and nicely browned on top. The eggplant shells should be cooked tender. Serve warm.

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How to Serve

This Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant is delicious and filling served on its own, or paired with some other Mediterranean style dishes and sides such as:

• Chickpea Greek Salad
• Souvlaki Beek Shish Kebabs
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Greek Fries
• Steamed Rice
• Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
• Pita Bread
• Greek Lamb Shanks

More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

• 60 Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
• Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Curried Chickpea Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Black Bean Burgers
• One Pot Lentils

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