MEATLESS STUFFED EGGPLANT
Eggplant boats stuffed with bread, brown rice, olives, tomatoes, spinach, cheeses, and herbs—baked until crisp.
"This meatless stuffed eggplant will knock your socks off — packed with veggies, flavor, and love!" - Alexia
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant
- 1/2 loaf day-old Italian bread
- 1 bag Grain Trust steamed brown rice
- 1 large can chopped black olives
- 4 cloves fresh minced garlic
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
- 10 campari tomatoes (quartered)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 2 eggs
- Cracked black pepper (to taste)
- Garlic salt (to taste)
- Cooking spray
Instructions
Prepare the Eggplant
Wash the eggplant, slice in half lengthwise, and hollow out the centers to form boats. Discard seedy sections and save the remaining flesh for the stuffing. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray and drizzle with olive oil, then place the hollowed eggplant halves inside.
Prep the Bread and Rice
Soak the Italian bread in water until soft, then squeeze out all excess liquid. Microwave the Grain Trust brown rice for 3 minutes, then allow it to cool before mixing.
Make the Filling
In a large bowl, combine the chopped eggplant flesh, soaked bread, cooled brown rice, black olives, garlic, olive oil, campari tomatoes, spinach, pecorino romano, parmigiano reggiano, and eggs. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with cracked black pepper and garlic salt. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Stuff the Eggplant
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spoon the filling mixture generously into each eggplant half, packing it down slightly. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1½ to 2 hours. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and slightly crispy.
Serve
Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes. Plate the stuffed eggplant and serve warm.