Hearty veggie-centric dish featuring eggplant stuffed with Italian flavors, veggies, and quinoa. Enjoy for a special occasion or easy weeknight dinner.
On my recent trip to upstate New York I enjoyed a dinner dish packed with pillowy soft Japanese eggplant.
It was all I could do to eat the rest of my meal, because I was busy cherry-picking for eggplant.
I decided right then and there that I need more eggplant in my life!
This Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant is the perfect cozy dish to start thinking about cozy colder weather dining.
Pour a little cab sauv and let’s get stuffing!
Eggplant and I go wayyyyyy back.
It’s been…shall we say…complicated?
I’ve always been attracted to their big purple bulbous shape at the supermarket, but for the longest time, cooking them correctly eluded me.
Undercooked, they can be rubbery, tough, and awfully offputting.
The secret to the best stuffed eggplant with tender shells and insides…
Are you ready?
Is to play tic tac toe with your eggplant flesh.
Yep, score that eggplant flesh in a checkered pattern so you have a cluster of eggplant cubes to play with after the flesh is soft from the oven.
It takes a bit longer to bake (more of a double bake, really), but it’s a total game changer!
My method of baking the halves separate and then again after stuffing the eggplant promotes even cooking and decreases the amount of oil used to wrangle the eggplant flesh into submission.
I’m talking rubbery hard eggplant transformed into velvety plush goodness.
A lot of the eggplant recipes I’ve seen call for a substantial amount of oil to soften the eggplant.
That doesn’t work well, though, because eggplant is like a giant sponge.
Give it 2 TBS of oil and it will want 2 TBS more.
This recipe is lighter than most eggplant meals out there, and is also gluten free!
I’m obsessed with the mix of savory and sweet going on in the filling of this dish.
Salty green olives paired with sweet plump raisins and popping cherry tomatoes.
You’re going to love the mix of flavors and textures!
When I first started making this dish, I served it over quinoa instead of stuffing it, and then somewhere along the line I decided to just shove it all in the eggplant and call it a meal.
And what a meal it is, friends!
It’s the perfect recipe to flaunt when you’re feeling creative or fancy, while still being easy enough to whip up for easy weeknight meals.
It’s also excellent paired with a good glass of red, like my new favorite 90+ Cellars Lot 94 Cabernet Sauvignon.
This full bodied red wine is a deep red with notes of black currant, mocha, and vanilla.
You can taste cherries before a smooth subtle finish!
I recommend pouring a glass while you wait on the eggplant to bake, because it’s delicious on its own and even better paired with stuffed eggplant!
The sweet and savory flavors of the stuffed eggplant pair perfectly with this well rounded wine.
Enjoy this Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant & Cabernet Sauvignon for a family night, dinner party, or “wine not Wednesday”!
I think it would be perfect for a late summer/fall dining experience when the weather starts to get a bit crisp.
If you’re serving one or two, split the recipe in half, or enjoy leftovers throughout the week.
For serving more than 4, double or triple the recipe and use multiple pans!
Oh, and multiple bottles of wine, duh. 🙂
I like my eggplant served with lots of fresh herbs and vegan parmesan!
XOXO.
If you make this Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant & Cabernet Sauvignon, let me know!
Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.
For more plants plus wine pairings, check out my Spinach, Artichoke, & Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms With Cabernet and Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Tahini & Prosecco.
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XO Lauren
Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant & Cabernet Sauvignon
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Hearty veggie-centric dish featuring eggplant stuffed with Italian flavors, veggies, and quinoa. Enjoy for a special occasion or easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 medium/large eggplants
- 1–2 TBSP avocado oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch of Himalayan sea salt (not too much because the olives add sodium!)
- 4 TBSP chopped fresh parsley or herbs of choice + more for serving
- OPTIONAL: 2 giant handfuls of dark leafy greens, like spinach or kale
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- For serving: vegan parmesan, fresh herbs
- 1 bottle 90+ Cellars Lot 94 Cabernet Sauvignon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Halve two large eggplant and trim off green stem. Create a checkered pattern on the flesh side with a knife, careful not to pierce the skin, leaving about 1/2″ from the edges. Use a spoon to scoop out the eggplant flesh and set aside. They should fall out in little cubes. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
- Place empty shells on the baking sheet facedown and place in oven for 25-30 minutes, until eggplant shells are tender and soft.
- While eggplant shells are baking, prepare your veggies and quinoa. Heat avocado oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic powder and sauté for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add diced eggplant to the pan along with the green olives, oregano, rosemary, pepper, and Himalayan sea sat. Heat 10 minutes, then stir in grape tomatoes and the chopped spinach or kale and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cooked quinoa and mix well, then spoon mixture into hollowed-out eggplant. Place eggplant back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes, until the eggplant filling is golden and warm.
- Serve with grated vegan parmesan, fresh herbs, and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Store leftover stuffed eggplant in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Category: Entree, Main Meal
- Method: Oven-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
This post is brought to you by 90+ Cellars, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!
These were great! I immediately want to make them again with some Cummin parmesan. Ooo ideas for more fillings are endless. Love the great starting inspiration thank you Lauren! I posted my results in Instagram.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! That pairing sounds fabulous! Tag me on Instagram in the post so I can see!!!
XOXO Lauren
Thanks Lauren! Sounds scrumptious, and since when does anyone need and excuse for a glass of Cab. We only get the French stuff here so that will have to do.
I have some fabulously meaty wild field mushrooms so Im going to use those instead of the tomato, olives route. Also I will use fresh garlic sautéed with the mushrooms, splash of lemon juice then pour in some Cab to deglaze. Cooking the quinoa in porcini stock made from dried porcini. All things I’ve been meaning to use. Now I have an aubergine you have inspired me. I must get that stock made pronto.
I think fresh parsley and origanum is perfect. Im not terribly sure where to get that vegan parmesan so I will use parmigiano-reggiano which I always have in the cool room anyway. All served on a nice deep bed of cavalo nero olive oil puree (black kale). Making me hungry already.
Thanks again. Going to do Madras curry ones next…….dripping in yoghurt, will definitely use tomatoes in that one. Is there vegan yoghurt? I always try and use as many vegan products as possible.
★★★★★
This recipe is so so good!! 👏🏻 My family and I loved it and I will definitely be making it again. I put the quinoa stuffing inside of the eggplant and also put some into red bell peppers and they were both delicious! Also, I added some of the juice that the olives were in, into the quinoa mixture, and found that it added some more flavor and elevated the dish! I topped the eggplant and bell peppers with some shredded mozzarella cheese and put it back in the oven for a few minutes to melt and it came out so good. Highly recommend 😍☺️
★★★★★
Hi Erica!
Thank you so much for the review! So glad that you and your family enjoyed it. I love that you tried it with red peppers, too! and that olive juice trick…genius!
XOXO Lauren
Another stunner is vermouth egg plant stuffed with itself. Cherry tomatoes, garlic, cubed egg plant, herbs a few red shallots, peeled blanched chopped chestnuts and a table spoon or two vermouth and drizzle of olive oil,. A half a cup or so vegetable stock, the vegan one made with yeast is the most savoury. Roast this all in a roasting tin until all sticky and gooey. The aubergine will absorb the veg tock and it will keep anything from burning. This you then stuff in the aubergine shell where you took the aubergine. You dont need to pre cook the aubergine just put it in a high oven and its cooks very nicely. I just thought I would mention this as I made it yesterday. It’s another very good booze and eggplant combo. Very good served on brown rice or some other whole grain.