Healthy Quinoa-Stuffed Eggplant, a delicious appetizer that is low carb, low calorie and gluten free. Super simple to make, these stuffed eggplant is a must-try recipe.
Call them eggplant or aubergines, they are the same fabulous, but awfully underrated veggies, unless you really enjoy the Mediterranean diet and cook with eggplant regularly. There are endless ways of cooking the good old eggplant, from spreads, to canapes, or a hearty Moussaka. In Romania, we love eggplant, especially in spreads or dips.
I have grown up having it pretty often, so there is no surprise that I absolutely love it, my favourite eggplant dish being the mayo eggplant dip, which is superbly refreshing, especially in the heat of the summer.
This beautifully healthy stuffed eggplant recipe is a fantastic Fall appetizer that uses seasonal produce. Nothing like a super simple, but so flavourful dish to spoil your taste buds.
HOW TO STUFF EGGPLANT
I must be honest, I don’t cook with it very often anyway, even though I get that quinoa is a super food with countless health benefits. Some people stick to their usual food, I guess, and if I am to choose, I usually go for rice or couscous instead of quinoa, but that’s not to say that can’t change.
To stuff the eggplant, we need to roast it first, so that the skin can be roast before stuffing, otherwise it won’t have time to cook properly once it’s stuffed. Let’s see how we do it.
- cut the eggplants into half lengthwise
- use a spoon to scoop out the eggplant flesh, leaving about a quarter of an inch around the edges
- drizzle some olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- roast for about 20 minutes or so until the flesh is soft
Once the eggplant is in the oven, we can go ahead and cook the filling. No need throwing away the perfectly fine eggplant flesh, just chop it up together with the onion and pepper, and sautee them until soft. Add the cooked quinoa, season well, and top the eggplant skins once they are soft.
Top with grated cheese, and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted. You can garnish with chopped parsley, for a bit of colour and extra taste. It’s a simple dish, but delicious and a crowd-pleaser for every occasion.
Looking for more stuffed vegetables? How about these fantastic vegetarian dishes, they are as delicious.
Healthy Vegetarian Stuffed Butternut Squash with Couscous and Vegetables
Middle Eastern Vegetarian Dolma
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Healthy Quinoa-Stuffed Eggplant, a delicious vegetarian appetizer that is low carb, low calorie and gluten free. Super simple to make, these stuffed eggplant is a must try recipe for Fall, but also great all year round. It's cheesy, it's filling, and it's bursting with big flavours. If you are looking for aubergine recipes, this one is a must.
- 2 eggplant
- 1 red pepper
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 vegetable stock (broth)
- 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
- parsley to garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
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Cut the eggplant lengthwise, then scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges.
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Drizzle some olive oil over the eggplant skins, then bake for about 20 minutes until they are soft.
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Chop the eggplant flesh, onion, red pepper and add to a pan together with half a teaspoon of olive oil.
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Add the vegetable broth and cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables have softened, then add the chopped tomatoes and cooked quinoa, and stir well.
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Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes, the liquid should be evaporated, if not, leave to cook for longer, stiring occasionally.
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Season with salt, pepper and Italian herbs, then take off the heat.
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Once the eggplant skins are ready, stuffed them with the quinoa mixture, and top with grated cheese.
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Bake again for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.
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Garnish with chopped parsley.
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