Stuffed Eggplant

When developing this stuffed eggplant recipe, we wanted to make something to cook as an easy everyday dinner without compromising taste.

We also wanted to make a modern and healthy recipe, without the heavy meat stuffing of traditional stuffed vegetables, one for a modern family, able to feed flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans alike.

And so we started with the base, made with perfectly roasted eggplant halves seasoned with heart-healthy olive oil, salt, and pepper. Minimal effort, maximum taste!

For the filling, we decided to give you four delicious options:

1. Melted mozzarella + roasted cherry tomatoes + basil pesto: for the flexitarian who is slowly transitioning to an increasingly plant-based diet. It honestly tastes like pizza, and it's totally kids friendly.
   
2. Yogurt tahini sauce + couscous salad + tahini drizzle: this is a Mediterranean feast on one plate, and we can't recommend it enough. It's creamy, tender, crunchy, refreshing, and one of our favorite meals.
   
3. Vegan basil pesto + cherry tomatoes + tahini sauce: for the vegan looking for something nourishing, tasty, and fresh.
   
4. Avocado spread + cherry tomatoes + crispy roasted chickpeas: for anyone that wants to experience flavor and texture perfection.

You can make everything in about 1 hour while the eggplants roast. Or you can prep most components beforehand, then build and warm up the stuffed eggplants in 10 minutes, just before dinner.

Use medium size globe eggplants or Italian eggplants, the ones with dark-purple peel.

Olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme

To season the eggplants before roasting them.

Cherry tomatoes

You can use any small tomatoes, such as cherry, plum, and date tomatoes. We chop them up, season them with olive oil, salt, garlic, pepper, and basil, then roast them on top of the eggplant for a few minutes.

Mozzarella cheese

To add that melty, cheesy feel. Use pre-grated mozzarella made for pizza or a whole one you can shred yourself.

If you are vegan, you can replace it with a vegan mozzarella or other vegan cheese that melts. Alternatively, choose one of the other vegan stuffings in the variations chapter below.

Basil pesto

You can use store-bought or make our quick, healthy, delicious basil pesto at home. Drizzle on top of the stuffed eggplant before serving.

Other ingredients

You can garnish with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, and freshly ground black pepper.

1. Roast the eggplants

Preheat the oven to 430°F or 220°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise.

Score the flesh of the eggplant with the tip of a knife, and season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, rubbing the condiments between the cuts.

Arrange on the baking sheet; cut side down. Bake at 430°F or 220°C for 40 to 50 minutes until thoroughly cooked and tender.

To check for doneness, pierce them with a fork; it should slide in easily.

Tip: you can also roast eggplants in an air-fryer for half the time. To do so, cut and season them as above, then air fry them for 12 minutes at 360°F or 180°C cut side up, flip around, and air fry for another 8 to 10 minutes, until brown, a little char, and tender inside.

2. Make Tomato Mix

Chop the cherry tomatoes and add them to a bowl with crushed garlic, chopped basil, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and set aside while the eggplants roast.

3. Top and melt

Add shredded mozzarella cheese to the roasted eggplants, then add the tomato mix and some more mozzarella.

Return to the oven and broil for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomatoes get soft and the mozzarella melts.

Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with basil pesto. Optionally garnish with toasted pine nuts, fresh black pepper, and extra basil leaves.

1. Mediterranean stuffed eggplant

Spread a generous amount of tahini yogurt sauce on the roasted eggplants. Top with a few tablespoons of couscous salad, then drizzle with tahini sauce.

You can sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds and a pinch of sumac or other spices like cinnamon, paprika, and cumin.

You can substitute rice salad and farro salad for couscous salad.

2. Pesto & Tomatoes

Spread a generous layer of basil pesto on the roasted eggplants, including between the cuts.

Top with chopped tomatoes mixed with olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, minced garlic, drizzle with tahini sauce, and garnish with fresh basil or mint leaves.

3. Avocado, Chickpeas, and Tomatoes

Spread a generous amount of avocado spread on the eggplant, add chopped tomatoes mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, top with roasted chickpeas or air-fried chickpeas, and sprinkle with parsley or fresh coriander.

Tip: you can bake the roasted chickpeas with the eggplants on the side on the same baking tray.

We generally serve roasted stuffed eggplants for dinner with:

• Pita bread (flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, olive oil, etc.)
• Easy side salad (lettuce, celery, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, etc.)
• Hummus (chickpeas, cumin, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, etc.)
• Naan bread (flour, sugar, instant dry yeast, garlic, olive oil, parsley, etc.)
• No knead focaccia (rosemary, flour, sugar, water, instant dry yeast, sea salt, etc.)

Make ahead & storage

Make ahead: you make the pesto beforehand, the tomato mixture up to a day in advance, and you can roast the eggplants up to 2 days in advance. Then put the dish together right before dinner, warm the eggplants, and in just over 10 minutes, you can have a delicious dinner.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat in the oven, microwave, or air-fryer before eating.

Freezer: we don't recommend freezing this recipe.

If you love cooking with this versatile vegetable, check out our selection of favorite eggplant recipes:

• Sautéed eggplant (tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, basil, red pepper flakes, etc.)
• Eggplant dip (roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, parsley, cumin, etc.)
• Roasted eggplant (parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, eggplant, etc.)
• Eggplant parmigiana (canned tomatoes, garlic, basil, parmesan cheese or vegan cheese, etc.)
• Breaded eggplant (chickpea flour, breadcrumbs, eggplant, parmesan or vegan cheese, etc.)
• Or get more ideas with our best 35 eggplant recipes, including dinners, lunches, and snacks.