You are using an outdated browser that our site DOES NOT support. Please click here to update your browser.

There is a problem with your payment method. To continue using Sweet & Saucy, please update your payment method.

Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

Name: Stuffed Eggplant
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 3 medium eggplant (3 inches wide by 5 inches long); 1 lb ground lamb, ground beef, ground turkey, ground plant-based meat, or 2 cups cooked lentils; 1 onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped; 2 cups cooked basmati rice; 2 medium tomatoes, diced (1½ cups) plus their juices; 0.25 cup fresh dill; 0.25 cup fresh mint (or flat-leaf parsley); 0.25 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional, save 1 tablespoon for garnish); 1.5 teaspoons salt; 0.5 teaspoon pepper; 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon cumin; 0.75 teaspoon allspice; 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander; 0.5 teaspoon sumac; 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon; 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves; 0.25 teaspoon ground cardamom; 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cups broth (chicken, veggie, or water with a pinch of salt); 0.25 teaspoon allspice; 0.25 teaspoon cumin

This Stuffed Eggplant recipe is so cozy and warming! Succulent eggplant is filled with basmati rice, your choice of ground meat (or lentils), herbs, and Lebanese spices and baked until meltingly tender, in a fragrant tomato broth. Vegan-adaptable.

4.8 from 154 votes

90 mins

Total Time

servings

Jump to Recipe

How to Make the Best Stuffed Eggplant

This Lebanese-inspired stuffed eggplant is the ultimate comfort food for cooler weather. The combination of warm spices like allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, and sumac creates an incredibly aromatic dish that fills your kitchen with the most enticing fragrance as it bakes. Each eggplant becomes meltingly tender, cradling a savory filling of rice, seasoned meat, fresh herbs, and tomatoes.

What makes this recipe so versatile is its adaptability—you can use ground lamb for an authentic taste, switch to ground beef or turkey for a lighter option, or go completely plant-based with lentils. The tomato broth that surrounds the eggplants during baking infuses every bite with flavor while keeping everything wonderfully moist.

Serve these stuffed eggplants as an impressive main course alongside a simple cucumber yogurt salad and warm pita bread. The fresh dill and mint garnish adds a bright, herbaceous note that perfectly balances the rich, spiced filling. This dish is proof that simple vegetables can be transformed into something truly extraordinary.

Keywordstuffed eggplant, stuffed eggplant recipe, baked eggplant, stuffed eggplant with rice, stuffed eggplant with lamb, best stuffed eggplant

Ingredients

Eggplant and Filling

3 medium eggplant (3 inches wide by 5 inches long)
1 lb ground lamb, ground beef, ground turkey, ground plant-based meat, or 2 cups cooked lentils
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
2 cups cooked basmati rice
2 medium tomatoes, diced (1½ cups) plus their juices
0.25 cup fresh dill
0.25 cup fresh mint (or flat-leaf parsley)
0.25 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional, save 1 tablespoon for garnish)

Spices

Tomato Broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups broth (chicken, veggie, or water with a pinch of salt)
0.25 teaspoon allspice
0.25 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

Prepare the Eggplant

Scoop out the eggplant leaving about ½ inch thickness on all sides. Use a knife around the edge, then crosshatch, and use a spoon to remove the flesh. It need not be perfect.
Season the eggplant shells with salt and pepper and set aside. Chop up the scooped eggplant flesh finely.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Make the Filling

In a large oven-proof braiser or pan, sauté the ground meat and onions over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until onions are fragrant. Add the diced eggplant and garlic, cooking until eggplant is translucent. Drain some fat if desired.
Season with salt and all the spices. Add the fresh tomatoes and their juices, stir and cover for a few minutes until the tomatoes break down into the meat.
Place the meat mixture in a bowl with the cooked rice, fresh herbs, and optional pine nuts (save a tablespoon for garnish). Stir and adjust salt and spices to taste. If using lentils, add a good drizzle of olive oil.

Prepare the Broth and Bake

In the same pan, heat up the broth, tomato paste, and spices. Whisk together, scraping up any brown bits. Wipe off the sides of the pan with a wet paper towel if messy. Turn off heat.
Divide the filling among the eggplants, pressing it in gently and mounding to incorporate all. Nestle them in the tomato broth. The broth should come up about ¼ to ½ inch—add more broth if necessary.
Bake covered for 40-45 minutes, until eggplant is fork tender and filling is heated through (145°F). Then bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes until golden.
Sprinkle with fresh dill, mint, and remaining pine nuts before serving.

Notes

When serving pine nuts to guests you don't know well, always make them visible on top in case of allergies.
This recipe is vegan-adaptable by using lentils instead of ground meat and vegetable broth.
Choose eggplants that are about 3 inches wide by 5 inches long for the best size for stuffing.

Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

How to Make the Best Stuffed Eggplant