This keto stuffed eggplant recipe is an easy and delicious dish inspired to Mediterranean flavours and it’s perfect for your weekly ‘meal prep’.
We stuffed the aubergine skins with a tasty mix of turkey mince, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and herbs and baked them in the oven. Then, sprinkled them with crunchy toasted pistachios, and that’s it! Ready to enjoy or to store away for your next meals.
Being keto, this recipe includes only low-carb vegetables, like aubergines and tomatoes, and provides a generous amount of fats, in particular, healthy unsaturated fats from extra virgin olive oil and nuts.
Having 38% of proteins this recipe is also good for those who follow a ‘high-protein ketogenic diet’, where the proportions of proteins are slightly higher.
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Ingredients
| Large Eggplants | 2 |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 4 tbsp |
| Onion | 1 |
| Garlic Cloves | 2 |
| Chilli Flakes | 1 tsp |
| Cherry Tomatoes | 160 g |
| Lean Mince 5% Fat (turkey, pork, or beef) | 400 g |
| Spinach | 160 g |
| Fresh Basil (chopped) | 2 tbsp |
| Nuts (walnuts, pistachios, or pine nuts) | 60 g |
Step 1
Slice the eggplants in half lengthways and use a spoon to scrape out the flesh and carve out a hollow centre (1).
Finely chop the flesh and keep it aside for the stuffing.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan, add the eggplants, and cover with a lid.
Cook the eggplants for 5 minutes on each side until they have softened.
Then, remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 2
In the meantime, prepare the eggplant stuffing.
Heat 2 tbsp tablespoons of oil in another pan. Add chopped onion, crushed garlic, and chilli flakes and sizzle until soft and fragrant (1).
Then, add the chopped eggplant, half of the cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters), and the mince (2).
Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 15 minutes or until the juices have reduced.
Now, add in the spinach leaves and stir well until they're wilted but still bright green (3).
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Grease a baking tray with a little oil and place the aubergine shells cut-side up.
Stuff the eggplants with the mince mix, heaping it high (1).
Then, top them with the remaining cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with chopped basil and nuts (2).
Drizzle all with the remaining olive oil.
Step 4
Finally, roast the stuffed aubergines in the oven for 30 minutes until lightly crusty and browned.
Garnish them with some more basil and serve with a green salad and cauliflower rice.
Enjoy your delicious keto stuffed eggplants!
Tips
After you have removed the eggplant flesh, sprinkle the hollow centre with coarse salt and keep the aubergine cut-side down over a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. This way it will release excess water and lose any bitter taste.
You can add some grated parmesan or nutritional yeast to the stuffing for extra flavour and nutrients.
For a vegetarian option, replace meat mince with cheese, like mozzarella or blue cheese or with a combination of cream and grated cheddar.
For a vegan option, swap meat mince with crumbled tofu or cooked brown lentils.
Store these stuffed eggplants in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze them on the day for a quick weekday meal.