Recipe for Stuffed Eggplant
This recipe for stuffed eggplant is a beautifully spiced Turkish dish adapted to be vegan is healthy, delicious, and surprisingly filling. Lentils and brown rice give it a beautiful consistency and texture, and the sauce is so good you’ll want to lick your plate clean. Since we are at the tail end of the eggplant season, they are usually on liquidation sales, so it is the perfect time to make them.
The great part about this dish is that I have made it so that there is no wasted eggplant. When digging out the centers of the eggplants, you can use the scraps for a baba ganoush. Just halve the recipe, and you have enough eggplant for two dishes. You will, however, need to pan-fry the scraps instead of roasting it since you no longer have the protective skin to keep it from burning, but it makes an excellent dip.
To make this, you’ll need a 9 x13 baking dish. Cut your eggplants lengthwise and scoop up enough flesh but leaving at least an inch of eggplant to support your stuffing while it is cooking.
Generously fill in your stuffing and gently place your eggplant into the baking dish. Fill your baking dish halfway with water and cover with tin foil. Bake for 45 min. Once baking is done, remove the cover and let sit for 10 minutes to cool down. Generously drizzle tahini sauce and sprinkle with coriander.
Recipe for Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized eggplants1
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup chopped button mushrooms
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes(400g)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup brown or wild rice (cooked)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup canned lentils or soaked overnight
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Salt & pepper to taste
Tahini Dressing
- 1 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Water to thin
- 2 tbsp coriander, chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine onions, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, rice, lentils, cumin, lemon juice, water, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- Fill the eggplants with the stuffing and put it into a 9×13" baking dish. Fill the dish with about 2 cups of water. Cover with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Let cool for 5 minutes.
Tahini Sauce
- Whisk together tahini, lemon. Add water until the sauce has a consistency that you can pour over your eggplants.
- Drizzle over your eggplants, garnish with coriander and enjoy!
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