Slice the eggplant as thin as you desire
This is a quick side or a main course depending on the size and quantity of the eggplant on hand. Use fresh mozzarella and do not be afraid to really stuff in between each slice. Just make sure not to cut the slices too far through or it will fall apart when baking.
Stuffed Eggplant
- 1 large eggplant
- 2-3 tomatoes sliced thin
- 3 large cloves garlic sliced into thin slivers
- 5 basil leaves
- 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
- Olive oil
- Salt/pepper
Wash eggplant. Lay it on the side and from the center slice from the top down 3/4 of the way. Work from the center out slicing slits across the eggplant making sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom. Salt eggplant and put uncut side up in a colander. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Oil a baking dish and place eggplant in it. Drizzle with olive oil. Working from the center slide fingers inside slices and rub generously with oil. Tear basil by hand and slip pieces in between each slice. Then slide tomatoes into each eggplant slice. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle more oil. The eggplant should start to fan out as more items are stuck into the slices. Slide in garlic slivers next. Finish with cheese jammed in on top. Bake at 375 degrees until cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide 
Ritchey adores eggplant – and everything else in this recipe! I must make this for him! You share such great recipes! Thank you!
Thank you! Hope you try it.
It’s like eggplant heaven! This looks excellent. I’m gonna need to get myself an eggplant soon and try this! Great idea!
Thanks, let me know if you do.
There have been so many wonderful eggplant recipes this season. This one is right up there among the best. Eggplant and melty cheese. What a concept!
Eggplant is so underrated, maybe not by foodies, but by the general public.
oh my that looks scrumtious.
Eggplant/aubergine seem to fit with the season. Good dish.
That looks soooo good! I would have never thought of stuffing it that way. I recently used a Sicilian eggplant to stuff that was delicious, but this looks so much better!
Thanks, I’m not sure your dad would go for this as a main dish, but I bet your sister would!
I am so happy when i saw this excellent recipe! i bought an big eggplant from farmer market days ago but have no idea how to cook it, now i definitely will try this recipe! that looks delicious and healthy! thanks for sharing this!
I´d make sure to pack plenty of cheese in! Another winner here…..
This looks delicious and what’s great it’s so simple! I have an egg plant I was going to fry. Will use this recipe instead. 🙂 You ahve such great ideas 🙂
Thank you!
What a great way to stuff! Never would think of doing it like this!
Mozzarella, basil and tomato are eggplant’s best friends, aren’t they? Even just looking at this beautiful dish I am sure it tastes heavenly!
The eggplants are out in full force and I am going to pick one up today. This looks too good not to make!
I live eggplant, so rich and creamy tasting. And of course fresh Mozarella!
Love! I meant love! Damn auto correct!
Ha, it actually made sense to me. I live eggplant too in the summer!
Mm, wow! I love how simple this is! Beautiful.
My son-in-law has just discovered that he LOVES eggplant, and has been bugging me for more recipes…I think this one will make his day!
It’s so simple and can be served as a main or side.
It’s definitely eggplant season and this is a simple dish to put together that everyone will enjoy.
Looks absolutely delicious!
lol – this is great. A lot better than stuffing it the Arabian way.
Bet you both are just as tasty though! 😀
You’re really up on the veggies this week — good stuff!
Thanks, we do love our veggies in the summer.
Wow this sounds like my favourite pizza without the bread, how very thoughful of you!!
There are vegan and gluten free recipes on our site!
Seriously you are sending me into a panic here. How am I going to make all of these eggplant recipes – because I do have to make them all! Especially this one. OMG!!!!! I think I need to start a file for just eggplant recipes. Look at the cheese! Wow!
And I haven’t even made eggplant parm this year!
I don’t eat much eggplant, but this really looks tempting! I may have to give it a try!
Ooey . . . gooey . . . cheesy . . . deliciousness! 😀
What a tasty recipe! Eggplants, mozzarella, and tomatoes are always a winner. Just think about how eggplant parmesan is so popular, which contains these three ingredients. Your recipe is such a creative way of combining these ingredients. I would eat it as a vegetarian main course!
Goooey goodness….excellent!
This looks like the perfect cool summer grill idea!
How fantastic looking! The gooey cheese sounds delicious in the eggplant.
hello, aubergine! this recipe sounds delish. nice work, greg.
Thanks!
How pretty and what fun! I’ll try this soon and let you know if it works for me. I have eggplant “issues” for some reason — I love it but don’t often have good luck trying to prepare it. We’ll see… mmmm!!!
You’re not the only one with eggplant issues!
Really? It is deceptively simple, isn’t it? Such a seemingly placid fruit (oh yes, not actually a vegetable as I understand it), yet so deceitful…
I’ve heard that, but always forget it!
Oh, this is definitely a main course for me. With all the wonderful stuffing and the mozzarella cheese — definitely a hearty meal. I like the book pages style slices that you did on the eggplant, I think it’s brilliant! Have a great weekend!
~ ray ~
Thanks, you too Ray!
I could totally make a meal out of this. Looks wonderful.
As much as I adored the stuffed zucchini… this may top it!
I love how you prepare this – so simple!
I love this stuffed eggplant! Look at all that gooey cheese! 😉
I’m going from blog to blog today and this is my last stop and I’m so hungry. You’re succulent stuffed eggplants have prompted me to put on some clothes and go get me something to eat. Have to love NYC on a Saturday night.. everything is still open lol. Love this
God I love aubergine – It’s so meaty and wonderful. Olive oil is the perfect addition for a good aubergine too. I remember having an argument with my mother when I was a kid… I offered to help her chop the aubergine, and she said no, and so we fought about this stupid vegetable, and then both admitted later that we both wanted to cut it because it looked so smooth and delicious 😀
The cheese looks so ridiculously good. Simple and best.
Fantastic! What a brilliant idea and I have a vegetarian or is it vegan siter-in-law I could make this for.
Have a happy Sunday.
🙂 Mandy
Mmmm that would be silky soft molten goodness.
Very creative! When I saw “stuffed” I thought it would be the typical stuffed veggie, but oh no, you two did it up one better! Slicing and filing in between the the cheese and tomatoes, almost like stuffing bread… this is very cool! You know I love my eggplant!
Have my chair ready? It looks delicious….RaeDi
This also works with courgette (zucchini). We have some giant ones from out allotment and I was wondering what to do with them. So thanks for the inspiration! Need to cook slightly longer than the eggplants. I also spread some green pesto on the slices.
Pesto sounds great. I wish I had luck growing zucchini. Everyone always gets the best crops.
This is one of the only eggplant recipes in the world that I want to try….I realize it is probably not “right” to feel negative about the lovely eggplant in all its beauty….but I have experienced dishes just not very good, even from very good cooks….Your recipe looks fabulous, is easy to prepare and is my next meal…I will let you know what I think…
Some people just don’t like eggplant. If you do try it, let me know what you think even if you don’t like it!
What a great idea! I’ve never filleted an eggplant like that before. Bet it would also look cool if the eggplant were sliced crosswise. Gonna give this a shot next time I have an eggplant on hand. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love eggplant, and this looks AMAZING! Seriously! I love that it’s an easier way to have the eggplant parm kinda taste without all the slicing, baking, breading, etc. Can’t wait to try it!
Making this right now! Found organic eggplant for super cheap, and splurged a little on mozzarella considering my grad student budget… but I’m so excited to not be eating pasta or cornmeal I don’t even care!!
Cheese is cheaper than steak right?
Yes! That’s the rationale I’ve been looking for! It turned out absolutely awesome, and I have affectionately dubbed this dish “Frankeneggplant” because it looks so crazy huge & scary when you stuff it with everything. Thanks for the great recipe! I will definitely make it again.
That looks gorgeous. I made an eggplant bake for dinner tonight, and it was very tasty, but nowhere near this pretty!
those pictures are definitely making my mouth water; what an incredibly good idea for an eggplant! I’m really craving this now; if only there were a place that I could buy an eggplant closer than 4 hours away!!!
That post did impress me!
Pingback: Stuffed Eggplant « Ruth E Hendricks Photography
Thank you for creating an amazing eggplant bake recipe!
You’re quite welcome. We love our eggplant in the summer. Well technically it’s the farmers market eggplant.
Hi – I came here by way of Ruth (http://rutheh.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/stuffed-eggplant/) – and oh MAN does your dish look good! I’m certainly going to have to try! 🙂
Thanks, Stef. Let me know if you do try it!
This looked so perfect — I tried it a few weeks ago and it took about twice as long to cook to get the eggplant done; but by then the cheese was overcooked. Any suggestions on where I went wrong? I’d love to figure this out because we love all the ingredients. Thanks for any advice on this one! Our eggplant looked similar size to yours; I wonder if I should pre-cook the eggplant some? Or if I stuffed too much of the other goodies in there so the eggplant couldn’t cook?????
Did you salt the eggplant? Maybe it wasn’t cut thick enough. If so precooking might not hurt. I feel bad it didn’t work. You can always add cheese at the last minute.
It worked! Salting made the difference. I made this again last night, this time salting it. I was amazed to see the liquid come out and the whole eggplant was softer after that process. So it cooked properly and was delicious! Thanks again!
Oh great! Thanks for letting me know. Glad you liked it.
I must admit I didn’t salt — I hadn’t allowed enough time to coordinate with the main dish so I left that out, but perhaps that was the difference. Don’t feel bad — you obviously did it right; it looks so wonderful. I will definitely try again. We’re not that good in the kitchen but we love tasty food so we try our best to overcome our lack of skills!
Salting does make a big difference. I’m sure you’re better than you think in the kitchen.
I’ll try again and salt! Will let you know how it works out!
Pingback: Baked Eggplant Caprese | Savory Sundays
Pingback: Bringing Greek Flavors to Everyday Dishes | wrap me in phyllo dough
Pingback: Baked Aubergine with Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Coriander, Red Pepper & Capers with Egg Pasta. | What did you have for dinner last night?
Pingback: Grilled Romas | Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
Pingback: Eggplant with Goat Cheese and Capers | Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
Pingback: Sunday Suppers: An Italian Summer | Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide