Stuffed Eggplant (Light Vegetarian Dinner, 293 Calories!)
Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant unpeeled, raw
- ½ cup white mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ onions large, chopped
- ½ cup spinach fresh
- 5 leaves basil fresh & chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 5 g cooking spray
- ½ tsp oregano dried
- ½ tsp parsley dried
- ⅛ cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for another 2 minutes until it begins to soften.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, spinach, and half of the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the spinach is wilted. Stir in the fresh basil, half the sea salt, and half the black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut the top off the eggplant and slice it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from each half, creating a shallow boat shape with enough room to hold the filling. Place both halves cut side up in the prepared baking dish.
- Spread the remaining chopped tomato across the bottom of the baking dish around the eggplant. Sprinkle the inside of each eggplant half with a quarter teaspoon of sea salt.
- Divide the vegetable mixture evenly between the two eggplant halves and press it in gently.
- Divide the shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan evenly over the top of each filled eggplant. Sprinkle with the dried parsley, dried oregano, remaining salt, and remaining pepper. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Place a toothpick in each eggplant half to help hold the filling in place, then cover the baking dish tightly with foil.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a fork and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes if you want the cheese to brown slightly on top.
Notes
Nutrition
I grew up with eggplant being one of the vegetables that frequent in the house… eggplant Parmesan. My mom would make it every so often and I loved it.
And then me… I would make zucchini boats and stuff them.
So this is a combination of the two of them. Taking the eggplant that she loved with some of the variety that I used..
You sauté a simple vegetable filling, scoop out the eggplant, fill it, top it with cheese, and let the oven do the rest. The whole thing takes 50 minutes and makes two generous servings of.
The filling is built with mushrooms, onion, garlic, spinach, fresh tomatoes, and basil, which together give you something that tastes Mediterranean and feels satisfying even without any meat involved.
The mozzarella and parmesan on top melt into the filling while it bakes and pull the whole thing together in a way that makes it feel like a proper dinner rather than a light vegetable dish.
This is a great option for a weeknight when you want something that feels a little special without a lot of cleanup. One pan for the filling and one baking dish. That is it.
What Makes This Work
Using two kinds of cheese is worth the small extra step. The mozzarella melts and gets creamy over the filling while the parmesan adds a saltier, sharper note on top. Together they create more depth than either one would on its own.
The fresh basil in the filling makes a bigger difference than you might expect. Dried basil would not have the same brightness here. If you cannot find fresh basil, fresh parsley works as a substitute, but try to use fresh rather than dried for the filling specifically.
Spreading the second chopped tomato across the bottom of the baking dish before the eggplant goes in adds moisture to the pan as it bakes, which helps the eggplant steam gently and become tender all the way through without drying out.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Do not skip scooping out the seeds. The seeds and some of the inner flesh need to come out to create enough room for the filling and to prevent the eggplant from being too dense and spongy in the center after baking. You do not need to go deep, just enough to create a shallow boat shape.
The toothpick step sounds odd but it matters. It holds the eggplant halves in shape while they bake so they do not split open and spill the filling. Remove them before serving.
If you want a little color on the cheese, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking. Just keep an eye on it so it does not over-brown.
This recipe also works in an air fryer at 200°C for about 20 minutes, adding the mozzarella at the halfway point. In a convection oven the cook time drops to 15 to 20 minutes with the mozzarella added from the start.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or in the microwave for about a minute and a half.
