Vegan Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

How to Make Vegan Stuffed Eggplant

Method

  1. Defrost meatless mince in refrigerator overnight or as per packet directions.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fan-forced ovens).
  3. Cut eggplant in half and make small criss-cross incisions in a diamond pattern, to score.
  4. Be careful not to cut through the skin of the eggplant, only the flesh.  
  5. Heat a large frypan on medium heat and spray with olive oil spray.
  6. Place eggplant, cut side down, in the frypan and fry until lightly golden, about 5-7 minutes. Once browned, remove eggplant and put on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  7. In the same frypan, heat the olive oil and fry the diced onion and garlic until soft and golden.
  8. Add the meatless mince, salt and pepper. Heat through, stirring, until cooked through. Set aside.
  9. Toast the pine nuts by adding to a warm, dry frypan. Keep the nuts moving as they toast, to avoid burning. They should be only slightly golden and ready in 2-3 minutes.
  10. Top the eggplant with the meatless mince and sprinkle with the pinenuts. Season with salt and pepper.
  11. Loosely cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until the eggplant is tender. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until eggplant is very soft to the touch.
  12. Once cooked, carefully remove eggplant and place on a serving platter.
  13. Drizzzle lightly with balsamic fig glaze and sprinkle with vegan Parmesan. Garnish with baby basil leaves.
  14. Serve warm.

Optional: Add other flavours to the meatless mince such as chili powder, paprika and cumin for a Mexican flavour and top with coriander instead of basil. Omit the glaze.