These Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplants are outrageously delicious and decadent. Loaded with tender quinoa, pecans, red onions, fresh parsley and a dairy-free creamy sauce, they are sure to be a hit!
This is quite possibly my new favorite recipe. It’s ridiculously good and I’m so excited to share it with you today because the temps are starting to drop in Manhattan, which means it’s roasted veggie season for me.
After a summer spent eating salads upon salads, I’m getting back into my cool weather groove with roasted veggies. I sort of have this mini (read: Major) love affair with roasted veggies because for the 10 years that I wasn’t well, I could only eat steamed veggies because anything roasted kicked my stomach into a tailspin for months. Not fun. So, now that I’m able to eat more foods and broaden my horizons at the dinner table, I’m warning you that there are a lot of roasted veggies coming down the pipeline in the next few months. Get ready and make sure your oven is pre-heated and geared up for the colder days and nights we’re about to dive into. I’m kicking off my roasted veggie streak with this Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant that will knock your little socks off. Let me show you how it’s done.
Here I used Thai eggplants (they’re more circular than the traditional long eggplants), which were at Whole Foods Market when I was food shopping last week but you can use any type of eggplant you’d like. I suggest you don’t use white eggplant for this recipe as they seem to be a bit too tough for my liking.
This recipe calls for slicing the eggplants lengthwise to a 1 inch thickness and then placing the eggplant slices on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, roasting the slices until they’re super tender and golden brown. It’s incredible how tender eggplant can get when you slow roast it. It’s heavenly and you’ll see exactly what I mean when you dive into it for yourself in a little bit.
After you roast the eggplant, all you need to do is add a few scoops of fluffy red quinoa on top of each slice followed by pecans, parsley, red onions and my dairy-free Coconut Curry Magic Sauce. It’s magical and you’ll know why when you taste it. I literally add this sauce to everything I eat. It’s becoming sort of a problem but that’s okay because it’s so good and it’s healthy and full of flavor, which I know is exactly what you’re looking for. Full-fat coconut milk is so nutritious and adds the perfect touch of sweetness along with the apple without needing any added sugar or sweetener. I’m all about giving you as much flavor as I can without spiking your blood sugar!
If you don’t have red quinoa, you can use white quinoa or tri-colored quinoa. You can also sub the parsley for fresh basil. I prefer to use the soft fresh herbs for this recipe instead of something like sage or rosemary. The soft herbs are easier to use in this recipe because the they pair nicely with the tender eggplant, fluffy quinoa and creamy sauce. If you don’t have pecans on hand, you can use sliced almonds or walnuts, however, I highly suggest you use pecans because they’re so naturally sweet and add a perfect touch of sweetness to this savory recipe. They lend a crunch and depth to each bite!
This Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant is best served immediately. Leftovers will hold up in the fridge for 1 day but be sure to keep the magic sauce separate so that it doesn’t make everything gooey and messy. Know what I mean? There probably won’t be any leftovers because this stuffed eggplant is so good.
A note on the eggplant: try to find eggplants that are tender and not too hard. I find from personal experience that the softer eggplants are tastier and more ripe.
Enjoy. And let me know what you think below in the comments.
xx
Free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, corn, eggs. Vegan, Vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil extra-virgin
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup red quinoa
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped
Coconut Curry Magic Sauce
- 1 cup cucumber chopped
- 1 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 small red apple sliced
- 4 large fresh basil leaves
- 1 Tbsp. red onion diced
- 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Lay the slices on the prepared baking sheet. Pour some of the olive oil into your hands and use your hands to coat both sides of the eggplant. This is done because if you pour the oil over the eggplant it will soak into one spot only and we need it spread throughout the entire slice.
Cook the eggplant for 25-30 minutes or until it's tender.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
For the sauce, combine all of the 'Sauce' ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
When the quinoa is done, remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and cover for 5 minutes. Then add the onion, parsley, sea salt and pepper.
Remove from the eggplant from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes. Then top with the quinoa mixture and drizzle with the sauce. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper and serve immediately.
These are beautiful!
The picture shows like an eggplant “boat” with the stuffing inside & can see part of the stem . . . . but the directions say to slice eggplant lengthwise in to 1 in slices & trim the stem off – which would make the eggplant slices flat. This is confusing.
Hi Terissa, I just updated it. That was an error on my part as I’m used to saying slice into 1 inch slices. Enjoy! xx