Stuffed baked eggplant with lentils and vegan cheese! This is a simple vegetarian weeknight dinner, side dish or entrée which contains wholesome ingredients. The recipe is meat-free, plant-based, healthy, low-carb, and easy to make! You can use your favorite veggies and sub lentils for chickpeas.
Lentil Stuffed Epplant
How awesome are eggplants/aubergines? I love them most when they are baked or grilled and topped with lots of vegan cheese. These eggplants are stuffed with flavorful lentils which add healthy plant-based protein.
I love this recipe because it is:
- The perfect vegan side dish, weeknight dinner or entrée
- Hearty, cheesy, flavorful, spicy
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
How To Make The Best Vegan Stuffed Eggplant?
Check the following step-by-step instruction photos below:
- Cut the eggplants in half (lengthwise), scoop out some of the flesh, leaving a border around the skin.
- Process the scooped out flesh in a food processor and set aside.
- Place the eggplant “boats” on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling in a skillet and stuff each eggplant half with the filling.
- Add vegan cheese sauce and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!
Health Benefits Of Eggplants
Did you know that eggplants have many health benefits? They contain lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals and are rich in antioxidants. I found a great article with awesome facts about eggplants! I am going to share some facts with you:
Heart health
The fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and phytonutrient content in eggplants all support heart health…Cancer
Polyphenols in eggplant have been shown to have anti-cancer effects…Liver health
Research has suggested that the antioxidants in eggplant may help protect the liver from certain toxins…Eggplants also contain flavonoids, such as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that have many health benefits. They also help give the eggplant its well-known, dark purple color.
The skin of the eggplant is rich in antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and magnesium.
The phenolic content of eggplant makes it such a potent free radical scavenger that this vegetable is ranked among the top 10 vegetables in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity.
Check out this link to find out more incredible facts about eggplants.
Preparation Of Eggplants
I sometimes get asked what’s the best way to prepare eggplant. Eggplants might taste bitter (due to the glycoalkaloids) but the ones I ate actually never tasted bitter. I assume it’s different from region to region and it also depends on the variety.
If you are afraid of a bitter taste or can’t buy a low-bitter variety, you might want to try the following trick:
- “Sweat” the eggplant by cutting it in half and then sprinkling each half with a little salt.
- Set aside for 30 minutes.
- You will see that moisture will be drawn out which you can rinse off with water (or pat dry with tissues).
Vegan Stuffed Eggplant Ingredients
As mentioned before, these eggplant boats are stuffed with a hearty lentil mixture and vegan cheese. However, I also used the eggplant flesh because if you prepare it with various seasonings it actually turns out to be tasty and flavorful!
I hate food wasting and therefore I would never throw away the scooped out eggplant flesh!
If you don’t like lentils, you can, of course, use beans (kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans, black beans…), refried beans, or chickpeas instead. I cooked the lentils (from dry brown lentils), however, you can also use canned lentils.
This Vegan Stuffed Eggplant Recipe is:
- Meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free
- Relatively low-carb
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Flavorful
- Comforting
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
Should you recreate these vegan stuffed eggplant, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! If you like eggplant, definitely also check out the following recipes:
Vegan Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
- 1 onion diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tbsp oil (or water, if oil-free)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 plum tomatoes chopped
- 1 1/2 cups of (300 g) cooked lentils e.g. canned
- 1 batch (200 g) vegan cheese sauce or 7 oz of store-bought vegan cheese
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/3 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce gluten-free if needed
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Fresh herbs to garnish
- Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 degrees Celsius) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the eggplants in half (lengthwise) and scoop out about 2/3 of the flesh leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick border around the skin.
- Process the scooped out eggplant flesh in a food processor and set aside. Check the step-by-step photos above in the blog post.
- Place the eggplant "boats" on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, eggplant flesh, all spices, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, maple syrup, and vegetable broth. Put a lid on the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cooked lentils and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/spices to taste.
- Prepare the vegan cheese sauce or use store-bought vegan cheese.
- Once the eggplants have been in the oven for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and stuff each half with the lentil eggplant mixture.
- Add vegan cheese and bake for another 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!
Notes
- Please check the step-by-step process shots and video above in the blog post.
- If the eggplants in your region have a slightly bitter taste (which also depends on the variety), check out the preparation trick above in the blog post.
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving made with my vegan cheese sauce.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
C. Wilson
The stuffing was pretty good, however I couldn’t even chew through the skin, it was that tough. I can’t be entirely sure that that is the recipe’s fault as it could be an error on my part.
Ela
Hello, thanks for your feedback. It sounds like they were not fully cooked. Maybe it was the variety of the eggplants or the oven temperature (not every oven is the same). Next time simply leave them in the oven longer. I am glad you liked the stuffing. 🙂
Claudia
Hi. Looks great. Can this be frozen ?
Ela
Hi Claudia, I never tried it, however, I believe it wouldn’t freeze well.
Ben
I just made these, today. I had to use chickpeas, because I didn’t habe lentils on hand. I put some carrots, onions, and some other stuff in there. All in all, I closely followed the recipe. It was amazing. Thank you for sharing this.
Ela
You are very welcome, Ben! I am so glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Lisa
I was so excited while making your recipe!I didn’t have any smoked paprika so I was gonna use a little liquid smoke as a substitute but i totally forgot..I bet it would have made some difference in the taste.Overall though it was really good,its something I would make again and experiment with different ingredients to stuff
Ela
I am glad you liked the recipe, Lisa! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Amanda W
OH MY GOODNESS! This was delicious. The only issue I had with it was that is stupidly shared with my husband and no there are no leftovers. Your recipes are amazing! Thank you!
Ela
Hahaha, thanks for your great comment, Amanda! I am glad you both liked the recipe. 🙂
Melina
Hi Ela! Quick question: do the eggplant boats have to face up all the time in the oven? or do you turn them around?
Thanks! Love your recipes! 🙂
Ela
Thank you, Melina! Yes, once you add the filling they have to face up all the time. Enjoy! 🙂
Eliana
Ela this was amazing once again!
Instead of lentils I used canned chickpeas and it turned out just fine!
Loved the cheese on top! Mine was not yellowish at all too but I didn’t mind. Next time I might use a little turmeric for the color 😉
Thanks again! Greetings from Cyprus!
Ela
So glad you liked the recipe and the vegan cheese sauce! Thanks for your feedback, Eliana. 🙂
Anastasia
I cooked it today. And it is delicious! I used cheese with milk because I didn’t have products for vegan cheese sauce. But it is very very tasty! I will cook it again. Thank you for this recipe, Ella!
Ela
I am glad you liked the recipe, Anastasia. 🙂
Natasha B
Thank you for another great recipe, these turned out delicious! I mixed in some soy mince instead of lentils and tasted fantastic ! Thanks again
Ela
Glad you liked the recipe, Natasha! 🙂
Hilary
Great recipe! I loved that it has hearty ingredients but doesn’t leave you feeling overly-full. My boyfriend really enjoyed it too!
Ela
Thank you for the feedback, Hilary! I am glad you and your boyfriend liked the recipe. 🙂
anonymous
oh….. sorry… one more thing….. and I garnished with cilantro
anonymous
and the ONLY cheese my husband likes is cotija so I sprinkled that over his before baking
anonymous
i made it! scrumptious! I must admit I made a few minor changes just to use up what I already had on hand:
sprinkled Adobo on “boats” before baking instead of salt
added 1 heaping tablespoon of sofrito to mixture as it simmered
added half bell pepper, diced with the tomatoes
added a few baby bella mushrooms, minced
didn’t have smoked hot paprika so I used ground Chile Arbol
Ela
Yay, that’s awesome! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
anonymous
I have all the ingredients and can make this today but I dont have a processor……. can I just chop the flesh? or do i need to cook it little to mash it?
Ela
Yes, you can finely chop it with a knife. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
These look so yummy! Love the idea ?
Ela
Thanks, Bianca! You should definitely give them a try. 🙂
Alice
I made your stuffed eggplant recipe and wow (way better than expected!!) it tasted amazing I literally can’t wait to make it again??
Ela
That’s awesome, Alice! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. 🙂
Dawn
A friend sent me this recipe and I decided to try it the next day – so easy I only needed to pick up two things that I don’t typically have on hand (love that I’m a recipe!)
Easy to make , filling and super flavourful! Look forward to eating this again and again! Thanks for the recipe!!
Ela
Fantastic! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback, Dawn! 🙂
Lilli
Hallo Ela
IT was awesome ♥️
Thank you so much. I did it with Zucchini.
Because i am eating like Anthony William, i make it little bit different, instead of Soja i Take kokosaminos. Instead of balsamic i put lemone i inside. Awesome,thabk you sooo mich
Love Lilli
Ela
I am so glad you loved the recipe, Lilli! 🙂
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet
I recently decided to look into eggplant more and your recipe looks incredible. I really love your cheese recipe. You could sell it, haha! I am pinning this too! Thanks so much Ela! Dee xx
Ela
Aww, you are the sweetest, Dee! Thanks so much for your lovely compliment. I hope you will try out some eggplant dishes soon. 🙂
Much love, Ela
Laura
Thank you, thank you , thank you . I just purchased eggplant yesterday not knowing what to do with them . … i saw your recipe . ..i made your recipe . ..i am eating your recipe made as I write this . .. outstanding recipe . ..a keeper . ..did I say thank you . ..delicious
Ela
Yay, that’s awesome, Laura! Thanks so much for your wondeful feedback. Made my day! 🙂