This summer I’ve been really drawn to cooking stuffed vegetables. It’s a great way to use the most of the vegetable and add even more veggie goodness to it. Add a grain to that party and it’s a complete meal. Stuffed vegetables are also perfect for helping out with portion control. You know exactly how much you’re eating because everything is neatly contained in your vegetable.
A classic stuffed summer vegetable is the eggplant. If you follow cooking blogs or any recipe boards on Pinterest, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of stuffed eggplant. There are a multitude of ways you can eat stuffed eggplant and not get hit with eggplant ennui.
My recipe for stuffed eggplant calls for couscous, but feel free to swap it out for brown rice, quinoa, or another whole grain you like. This recipe also incorporates some Nutrition DL alum and maximizes the season. If you want to take this recipe to eleven, add some fresh corn or peppers. You can never have too many veggies, right?
Next week I’ll introduce a new summer vegetable to the Nutrition Dl series. Do you have any ideas or favorite seasonal vegetables you’d like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments section!
Want more eggplant dishes from this series? You can find them here:
Nutrition DL: Eggplants – a great introduction to eggplant’s nutrition, as well as what and how to buy eggplants
Spicy Miso Eggplant with Soba
Eggplant Caponata
Loaded Eggplant Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 medium/large globe or Italian eggplants
- 2 1/2 cups of couscous, cooked (1 cup dry)
- 2 medium zucchinis, cubed
- 6-8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
- 1-2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 a lemon, juiced
- salt, to taste
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. Line a 13x9" baking dish in foil and set aside.
Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, and carefully cut about 1/4" the way in without cutting the skin. Make cuts (not all the way through) in the center of the flesh to help pull the meat out. Use a spoon to help scoop the flesh out, and finely dice the meat. Discard any parts that are mostly seeds. Place eggplant boats in the lined baking dish.
Bring a medium saute pan to medium high heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add garlic eggplant, and zucchini. Cook until eggplant is translucent and zucchini is soft.
Remove from heat and put eggplant mixture in a mixing bowl. Add couscous, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and seasonings. Stir to combine and add more seasonings if necessary.
Spoon couscous mixture into the eggplant boats and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on, and 20 minutes with the foil off. Garnish with parsley when serving.