Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplants stuffed with chickpea and quinoa filling on a baking sheet with parchment paper and a ramekin with sauce and a spoon.

5 from 4 votes

This quinoa stuffed eggplant recipe features an amazing honey pepper tahini sauce that blends perfectly with protein-rich chickpeas and chewy quinoa. The whole mixture is served in a baked eggplant shell for a filling-yet-healthy vegan dinner or side dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: canned chickpeas, kimchi

Servings:

Calories: 517kcal

Equipment

baking sheet
large saute pan

Ingredients

2 eggplants
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil divided
1 clove garlic minced
2 shallots minced
1 cup quinoa white or red, cooked
1 cup tomatoes chopped
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. oregano dried
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
8 oz chickpeas about 1/2 can or 400g
¼ cup parsley fresh, finely chopped

Sauce

¼ cup tahini
2 lemons juiced
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. kimchi base or other pepper sauce (optional)
1 tsp. honey or maple syrup
salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Slice the eggplants in half, scoop the flesh and sprinkle the shells with salt, pepper and half of the olive oil.
Arrange the eggplants in a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the filling. Chop the meat of the eggplants.
Add the rest of the olive oil to a non-stick skillet and bring to medium heat. Add the garlic clove and shallots, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
Add the eggplant flesh and tomatoes. Season with cumin powder, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and combine well. Cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add the quinoa, chickpeas and parsley and mix until everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Combine all the sauce ingredients.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and top with the prepared mixture, sauce, and fresh herbs.

Notes

You can easily replace quinoa with another grain if needed. Simply cook the grain according to the package directions before adding to the filling mix.

Nutrition