Filled with hearty lentils, these stuffed eggplants make for a delicious meat-free meal.
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Lentil-stuffed eggplants
Serves 8 Prep 30 mins Cooking 1 hr 15 mins
4 medium (about 300g each) eggplants, halved lengthways
1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 x 400g cans lentils, rinsed, drained
400g can cherry tomatoes
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
1/3 cup basil leaves, torn
2/3 cup (80g) shredded tasty cheddar
1/2 cup (35g) Coles Asia Panko Crumbs
1. Use a small sharp knife to score the cut side of each eggplant half in a diamond pattern (don’t cut all the way through). Season with salt. Place, cut-side down, on a wire rack for 30 mins. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Use a teaspoon to scoop out eggplant flesh, leaving a 1cm-thick shell. Finely chop eggplant flesh.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until light golden. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until aromatic. Add eggplant flesh and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until tender. Add the lentils, tomatoes and stock powder and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Stir in basil. Season.
3. Place eggplant shells, cut-side up, on lined trays. Top with lentil mixture. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 mins. Sprinkle with the cheddar and panko crumbs. Spray with olive oil spray. Bake, uncovered, for 15 mins or until golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter.
Serve with lemon zest, baby spinach leaves and finely chopped red chilli.
Swap me: For an easy twist, swap the eggplants for 8 large zucchini.
Oven-ready veg: To save time, fill the eggplant shells up to 1 day ahead. Cover and store in the fridge overnight, ready to bake on the day.
Want more easy recipes? Check out our ‘Vegetarian recipes’ playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8rYS6B-sVuIsKBadO5-BXGoiv2w72bNV, which includes:
How to make easy zucchini fritters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcCv1kCocz4&list=PL8rYS6B-sVuIsKBadO5-BXGoiv2w72bNV&index=2&t=1s
Curtis Stone’s Tomato Soup with Pesto Cream and Cheese Soldiers:
Courntey Roulston’s Crushed Pea Colcannon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB_4RcHXh-4&list=PL8rYS6B-sVuIsKBadO5-BXGoiv2w72bNV&index=41
Brent’s Ricotta and Mushroom Pizza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiuZUQ0Mfa0&list=PL8rYS6B-sVuIsKBadO5-BXGoiv2w72bNV&index=38
Filled with the goodness of lentils and roasted until golden, these stuffed eggplants are a tasty, meat-free main. Prepare the eggplants by using a knife to cut the eggplants in half lengthways and then score a diamond pattern on the flesh, being careful to not cut all the way through. Sprinkle
With salt and place cut side down on a wire rack for 30 minutes. This will draw out the moisture and helps make the flesh softer. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Use a spoon to scoop out the eggplant flesh, leaving a 1cm-thick shell. Then finely chop the flesh. To cook the filling,
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until light golden. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until it’s aromatic. Stir in the eggplant flesh and cook, stirring occasionally,
Until tender. Then add the lentils, tomatoes and stock powder. Stir to combine and let it come up to a simmer. Stir in the basil and season. Remove from heat. Time to get filling. Place the eggplant shells, cut side up, on trays lined with baking paper. Spoon the lentil mixture
Evenly among the shells. Cover tightly with foil and pop in a preheated 200°C oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with the cheddar and panko crumbs. Return to the oven and bake until the eggplants have softened and the topping is golden brown. To serve,
Sprinkle with some lemon zest, spinach leaves and fresh chilli. These stuffed eggplants are so delicious. You can also swap the eggplants for zucchini if you have them on hand.