Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant
A delightful Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant recipe perfect for summer, featuring fresh ingredients and easy preparation.
Equipment
- medium bowl
- medium saucepan
- baking dish
- Foil
- Melon Baller
- Knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 medium Italian eggplant cut lengthwise
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes chopped, e.g. plum
- 1 clove garlic minced
Flavoring
- 6 pitted black olives chopped
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs (preferably panko)
- 2 stems mint leaves stems removed, plus chopped for garnish
- 1 tablespoon grated cheese pecorino or parmigiana
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling and sautéing
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the stuffing
- Slice the eggplant lengthwise in half. Hollow out the eggplant and chop the pulp.
- In a saucepan, heat olive oil, sauté chopped onion, salt, and red pepper flakes until softened. Add garlic and chopped eggplant pulp, cooking until softened.
- Rough chop tomatoes, capers, and olives, adding them to the stuffing bowl along with chopped mint leaves.
- Mix in breadcrumbs and cheese. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed.
Prepare the eggplant
- Trim the root end of the eggplant and rinse each half. Lay cut side down to dry.
- Stuff each eggplant half with the prepared filling.
- Preheat oven to 400°F, drizzle olive oil on eggplant, add water to the dish for steam, and cover with greased foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, check for softness, and re-cover & bake for another 10 minutes if needed. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve hot, room temperature, or cold with chopped mint on top.
Notes
This recipe can easily scale up as needed and works well as an appetizer or main dish served with a salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 2halvesCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1500IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 1.5mg
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