Stuffed Eggplants with Pomegranate & Tahini (Vegetarian Recipe)
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It’s not always easy coming up with delicious and interesting vegetarian options for your dinner party, but these Stuffed Eggplants are a real showstopper!
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Stuffed Eggplants with Pomegranate & Tahini
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
This recipe for stuffed eggplants is full of some of my very favorite ingredients. If you are a regular or long time reader of my blog you may know that I am of Greek-Cypriot heritage from the beautiful island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
It is part of the European Union, but it is located very near to the middle east, and as such it shares a lot of ingredients and flavors from neighboring countries like Lebanon and Israel.
This 1-hour recipe features eggplant (aubergine), chickpeas, tomatoes, bell peppers, pomegranate, and tahini and is flavoured with Middle Eastern herbs and spices making it so tasty that the non-veggies will want it too!
This delicious dish is perfect for al fresco dining in the summer, and certainly dinner party worthy! Serve it with a Cypriot Village Salad on the side for a complete meal.
You could also stuff smaller aubergines and serve them as a side dish for barbecued/grilled meat and fish.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Eggplants (Aubergine), Red Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic, Lemons, Pomegranate, Parsley
- Dairy – Full Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
- Tomato Paste – also known as Tomato Purée.
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Cinnamon
- Dried Oregano
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes – alternatively, use canned chopped tomatoes and give them an extra chop in a blender.
- Canned Chickpeas
- Tahini – a sesame seed paste.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Eggplant (Aubergine)
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is eggplant/aubergine, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Georgian Ajapsandali – An Aubergine Stew with Pepper, Tomato and Bulgur
- Moussaka – A Low-Fat Version of a Greek Classic!
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
More Vegetarian & Vegan Recipes
Looking for more vegetarian or vegan dishes to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Vegan Black Bean Lettuce Wraps
- Roasted Artichoke Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Buddha’s Delight – A Chinese Vegan Recipe
How Do I Make Stuffed Eggplants?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Stuffed Eggplants with Pomegranate & Tahini
It’s not always easy coming up with delicious and interesting vegetarian options for your dinner party, but these Stuffed Eggplants are a real showstopper!
Ingredients
- 3 medium eggplants (aubergines), halved
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 (15-oz/400g) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
- 1 (15-oz/400g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
- 3 Tbsp tahini
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or nonstick baking mat.
- Place the eggplant halves cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or just until the eggplants begin to soften up.
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spices become fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and chickpeas. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the eggplants from the oven and flip so that the cut side is facing up.
- Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the seeded part from the eggplants and discard.
- Stuff the eggplants with the warm chickpea mixture and return to the oven to roast for another 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant flesh is really soft and the chickpea mixture is bubbly.
- Meanwhile, whisk the yogurt with the tahini and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Remove stuffed eggplants from the oven and cool slightly.
- To serve, top each stuffed eggplant with a spoonful of the tahini dressing, pomegranate seeds, and some fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 384Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 15gSugar: 21gProtein: 13g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion – although not all may be vegan, and may require ingredient tweaks to make them so.
- Appetizer: Tachinosalata – Sesame Dip
- Soup: Gluten-Free Gazpacho Recipe with Chickpea “Croutons”
- Salad: Cypriot Village Salad
- Side Dish: Manitaria Krasata – Mushrooms in Wine
- Beverage: Watermelon Moscato Slushie Cocktail
- Dessert: Mango Lime Frozen Yogurt
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.