Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant
Looking for a low-carb, healthy meal that also happens to be filling and delicious? You’ll love this Moroccan stuffed eggplant. Inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, it features walnut meat for a healthier, plant-based twist. It’s easy to make, healthy, low-calorie, vegan, and irresistible. Trying new things in the kitchen always excites me, and I never cease to be surprised by how much we can accomplish with plants: they are full of nutrients, colors, textures and amazing flavors.
I grew up not being a fan of eggplant but over time learned that the key is in the preparation. You can easily substitute your choice of protein and the recipe will remain essentially the same. I would love to hear from you in the comments section below if you make this dish any differently.
First we’ll roast the eggplant. In the meantime we’ll prepare our walnut filling with seasoning, then simply let it simmer. Since we’ll be roasting the eggplant and simmering the walnut meat, we won’t need much prep time at all. Finally, we’ll top it with a dollop of vegan sour cream. Invite your friends when you make this Moroccan stuffed eggplant recipe and watch them devour it!
This dish is incredibly versatile. I like to serve it as an appetizer to share, or as a main course with salad, rice, pita, or couscous. It goes particularly well with zesty garlic couscous or my easy tossed salad. Drizzle some tahini sauce or olive oil before serving for a special touch.
I encourage you to share your experience in the comments below if you tried this Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant or made it differently. If you took a photo, please share with me on my instagram account ‘zesty_zahra’ and I will share your stories there. I am always happy to learn about people’s food choices and preferences!
Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant medium size
- drizzle Olive Oil
- sprinkle Salt
- sprinkle Pepper
Stuffing
- 1 cup Walnuts
- ½ cup Red Onion chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic whole
- 1 inch Jalapeño chopped
- 1 Roma Tomato medium size, chopped
- ¼ tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Italian Dried Herbs
- ¼ tsp Chili Powder optional
- ¼ tsp Salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Garnish
- 2 tbsp Vegan Sour Cream
- Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut eggplant in half and rub olive oil, salt and pepper on all sides. Bake for 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a food processor add walnuts, onion, garlic, jalapeño, tomato, cumin powder, Italian dried herbs, chili powder (if using), salt, soy sauce, water and fresh parsley and pulse until it resembles ground meat. Avoid blending it into a paste.
- Heat a medium size pan over low-medium heat. Add oil and blended mixture, then cover with lid. When it starts to boil, tilt the lid open and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Remove eggplant from the oven. Wait five minutes, then stuff eggplant with walnut meat.
- Top each piece of stuffed eggplant with two tablespoons of vegan sour cream and finish garnishing with some fresh parsley leaves. Serve hot.