This is one of the first recipes that come to our minds when we are in the mood for a warm and delicious vegetarian meal. It’s a very satisfying meal packed full of flavor and super healthy: just what the doctor ordered!
It’s possible that you are not very familiar with cooking eggplants. Don’t think much about it: somehow eggplants are one of those ingredients that are predominant in some kitchens yet virtually unknown in others. There’s one important tip to know about cooking them, though: they must be made to “sweat”. Cut your eggplant, add salt generously, and let it rest for 30 minutes; then wash away the salt and the dark-ish, bitter liquid that comes out.
This eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and spinach recipe works wonderfully also without feta cheese, so you can make this a vegan dish without much extra effort. If you do so, you may want to add red bell pepper to the chickpea filling or some slices of tomato on top of the chickpeas before the final baking step.
As we mentioned in our recipe for Thai red curry noodle soup, red curry paste is a phenomenal ingredient that you will soon find yourself using in several different recipes. It is packed full of flavor and very easy to use, yet the flavor and heat can vary significantly between different brands. So try not to be discouraged if the first one you try is too spicy for you or not very flavorful.
Similar recipes
If you like the eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and spinach, you may also like the following recipe:
Eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and spinach
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 1 can chickpeas
- 8 pellets frozen spinach
- 4 oz feta cheese
- 1 tsp Thai red curry
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tomato optional
- fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Cut the eggplants in halves lengthwise. Remove the soft part inside the eggplant with a spoon but don't discard it: you will use in the filling. You should end up with 4 boats of eggplant (the thickness of each boat should be around ½ in). Then generously sprinkle salt on the eggplant boats and also the inside of the eggplant that you removed. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, wash away the salt and the dark-ish liquid. Grease the bottom of the baking dish and place the four eggplant boats. Bake in the oven at 400℉ for 15 minutes.
- While the eggplant boats are baking in the oven, prepare the filling. Cut the inside of the eggplant in small pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in the frying pan. Add finely chopped onion and cook for a couple of minutes until it becomes soft and transparent. Then add spinach (defrosted, excess water squeezed out) and chickpeas (drained and rinsed). Cook for a few minutes, then add the Thai red curry, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes more.
- When the 15 minutes have passed, take the eggplant boats out of the oven. Fill the boats with the chickpeas and spinach mix using a spoon. Then crumble the feta cheese on top. If you like baked tomato, you can put a couple of slices on top of each boat. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the feta cheese gets brown edges. Plate the stuffed eggplant and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.