Baby eggplant halves are stuffed with a mix of spiced rice, artichoke hearts and juicy Kalamata olives, then served with spicy tomato sauce to make this flavor-packed Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Fall starts in just a couple of days, and I am so ready. In fact, September is my favorite time of year when it comes to food!
On the one hand, September is when all the best summer produce is available. I may not be a big fan of summer but I'm all about the corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and (of course) eggplant! And on the other hand, temperatures start to cool off and I go into comfort food mode and get all inspired to start cooking up some of that delicious late summer produce.
I had a sadly unsuccessful summer veggie garden this year, but I did manage to harvest just enough baby eggplants for this dish. This is a perfect early fall recipe that's packed with fresh flavors but is also nice and hearty for those chillier days.
To make this, your eggplants get halved, brushed with extra virgin olive oil and roasted in the oven.
While the eggplants roast, make the filling. Sauté some onion in your olive oil for a few minutes, then add garlic and cumin. Tip: sautéing the cumin for a minute or two in olive oil brings out its flavor.
Finally, in with the rice and vegetable broth, cover, and cook until the rice is fluffy!
Once the rice is finished, stir in some Kalamata olives and artichoke hearts.
A super simple spicy tomato sauce is perfect to offset the briny, pungent flavors of the olives and artichoke hearts.
The eggplant halves should be lightly browned and tender after about 20 minutes. Scoop out just a bit of the flesh from each, then stuff with the rice mixture.
Serve with spicy sauce and devour!
Tips for Making Amazing Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant
- You probably won't need to salt your eggplants if they're small and fresh. But if they're larger or have been hanging around for a while, just sprinkle the cut sides liberally with salt after cutting them open. Let them sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse well and pat dry. This will draw out any bitterness.
- To find out where you can get your hands on the ShopRite Trading Company products used in this recipe, use ShopRite Supermarket's store locator.
- Want to use brown rice for this recipe? Totally fine! Just make sure to adjust the amount of broth and the cook time based on the package instructions.
- If you prepare this ahead of time (or think you'll have leftovers), I recommend you store the sauce, rice, and eggplant separately.
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Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant
Baby eggplant halves are stuffed with a mix of spiced rice, artichoke hearts and juicy Kalamata olives, then served with spicy tomato sauce to make this flavor-packed Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Eggplant
- 4 baby eggplants (about 2 pounds total weight)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup Kalamata olive halves
- ¾ cup marinated artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Begin by roasting the eggplants. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise, then brush the entire outer surface of each half with olive oil.
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Arrange the eggplant halves on a baking sheet or in an oven safe skillet, cut sides up, and bake until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
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While the eggplants bake, begin making the filling. Coat the bottom of a medium pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic and cumin. Continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute more.
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Add the broth and stir in the rice. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil.
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Lower the heat and cover the pot. Allow it to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
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While the eggplants roast and the rice simmers, make the sauce. Coat the bottom of a small pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer until thickened up a bit, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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When the eggplants have finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
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When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out a bit of the flesh from the middle of each one.
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Finish making the filling by stirring the lemon juice, zest, olives, artichoke hearts and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Stuff each eggplant half with the filling.
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Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle a bit onto each of 4 plates. Place 2 eggplant halves on each plate, then top with additional sauce.
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Serve.
I have eggplants from the garden that I needed to do something with. I made this dish. My kitchen is destroyed, even though I tried to keep up with cleaning as I went along. It is very good, but beyond my endurance. I am headed upstairs for a nap. I decided to bake this again after they were filled because I like my eggplant really really cooked so that wonderful oil comes through and the skins are edible. Skins are not edible after only 20 minutes. Also, what to do with the scooped out eggplant? Good excuse for me to learn to make baba ganoush.
This one is a bit of work! I'm glad you found it tasty though. You can always prep the filling and sauce in advance if you want to save time the day of serving. Baba ganoush would be great for the scooped out eggplant. You could also try these meatballs: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/eggplant-meatballs/
This was delicious! I only made a few modifications. I scored, salted and drained the eggplant halves then roasted them for an hour because I knew I wanted them to be creamier in texture. I used black olives instead of kalamata in the filling because I had an open can of them and needed to use them up. I added capers because I love them and thought their saltiness/tang would sort of make up for not using kalamata olives. I know your exact original recipe would be just as, if not more, delicious. Other than the eggplant prep I used, I will definitely make it again and stick to your ingredients. My boyfriend and I both loved it and I thank you for yet another fantastic recipe!