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:
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: Check out this link to find out more incredible facts about eggplants. 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.
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:
Chickpea Eggplant Curry Coconut Veggie Curry Crispy Spinach Eggplant Tacos Easy Ratatouille Recipe
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