Simple, healthy & delicious vegan stuffed eggplant/ aubergine with a lentil-based shepherds pie filling ( gardeners pie). A simple mid-week hearty, comforting dish.
When I first thought up this idea I wasn’t entirely sure if it would work. I mean shepherds pie on its own is delicious and roasted eggplant is delicious – but would they work together to create a healthy, delicious dinner without being too heavy.
Luckily, it only took one try to get this recipe right and I can happily say that I am mighty impressed. This shepherds pie stuffed aubergine ( or eggplant, as some people say) is the perfect comfort food. The eggplant is creamy but light, with cavities that are the perfect size for portioning out the lentil-based filling.
As you can see, I actually made these with and without the sweet potato mash and – I gotta say, mash all the way for me, please!
Plus, this recipe actually leaves you with enough shepherds pie filling to make a separate one altogether, if wanted.
No matter what, you’re always going to end up with some extra filling otherwise. Since you add the aubergine flesh into the shepherd’s pie filling.
What’s in the lentil filling?
For this stuffed aubergine/ eggplant, I’ve used my favourite vegan shepherd’s pie ( or, technically gardeners pie as there’s no meat involved).
This filling is made up of a combination of lentils, peas, carrot, celery and leek. This is then topped with creamy sweet potato mash and an optional sprinkle of vegan cheese.
Note* You could also use white potatoes for your mash if preferred.
How To Make The Stuffed Eggplant:
Begin by preparing your aubergine/ eggplant . To do this, slice each aubergine in half lengthways and score with a knife.
Sprinkle with salt and leave to rest for around half an hour. This will get rid of some of the extra liquid from the aubergines and is said to also get rid of some bitterness.* Once ready squeeze lightly over a sink, to get rid of excess water and blot with a paper towel.
Lightly brush with olive oil and place on a baking tray, flesh-side down, for 30-40 minutes- till the flesh is brown and wrinkled.
Next, it’s time to prepare the sweet potato for the mashed potato. Prepare your sweet potato by peeling and chopping them into around 1-2 inch chunks. Place in a large pan with boiling water and simmer till tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables for the stuffed eggplant filling by finely slicing the leek and celery and peeling and chopping the carrot.
Heat up a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, till beginning to soften.
Add the lentils, stock and peas to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring regularly.
season and add the tomato puree, then stir to thoroughly mix.
Reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes, till the lentils are cooked and the majority of the liquid has been absorbed.
When the potatoes are ready, season, add a dollop of your favourite plant-based butter and mash.
Note* I know this is probably going to alarm some people but – I use a handheld blender to get perfectly smooth sweet potato mash. Blending, however, can make potato ‘gummy’ due to how the blades react with the starch molecules. But, oddly, I actually love the effect it has on potato so – don’t judge me too much! You can use a potato masher or tool of your choice.
When the aubergines have cooked, remove them from the oven, scoop out some of their flesh. This will be the cavity for the lentil stuffing.
Add the aubergine/ eggplant flesh to the vegetable and lentil mixture. Stir till thoroughly combined.
Spoon some filling into each aubergine half and top with the mashed potato and dairy-free cheese. Feel free to mix up which do and don’t have a potato topping.
You can then place any leftover lentil mix and shepherds pie into a separate oven-proof dish as a standalone shepherds pie.
Note* For this recipe, I usually use 2 aubergines and then use the rest of the shepherd’s pie mixture to make a large 4-portion shepherds pie. Alternatively, you can use 4-5 aubergines. However, there will always be a little extra mixture leftover.
Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, optionally you can grill them at the end for a couple of minutes, to brown the cheese.
When serving, top with some optional parsley and lemon wedges. The lemon juice perfectly cut the sweetness of the sweet potato and is divine with aubergine.
How to store the stuffed aubergine:
This dish is definitely best served immediately, warm from the oven. However, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can then eat them cold or reheat as needed.
The Vegan Lentil Shepherds Pie Stuffed Eggplant/ Aubergine Recipe:
Shepherds Pie Stuffed Aubergine
Ingredients
- 1 Leek
- 1 Carrot Large ( or 2 Med)
- 1 Celery stick
- 100 g Red Lentils
- 500 ml Vegetable Stock
- 100 g Frozen Peas
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 3-4 med sweet potato 700-800g
- plant-based butter for the mash
- Garlic Infused Olive Oil
- 2 Aubergines *
- salt & pepper
- cayenne optional
- Parsley to garnish ( optional)
- Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your aubergine. To do this, slice each aubergine in half lengthways and score with a knife.
- Sprinkle with salt and leave to rest for around half an hour. This will get rid of some of the extra liquid from the aubergines.* Once ready squeeze lightly to get rid of excess water and blot with a paper towel.
- Lightly brush with olive oil and place on a baking tray, flesh-side down, for 30-40 minutes- till the flesh is starting to brown and wrinkle.
- Prepare your sweet potato by peeling and chopping it. Place in a large pan with boiling water and simmer till tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables by finely slicing the leek and celery and peeling and chopping the carrot.
- Heat up a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, till beginning to soften.
- Add the lentils, stock and peas to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring regularly.
- season and add the tomato puree, then stir to thoroughly mix. I like to add a dash of cayenne pepper for a bit of heat - but this is optional.
- Reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes, till the lentils are cooked and the majority of the liquid has been soaked up.
- When the potatoes are ready, season, add a dollop of your favourite plant-based butter and mash till smooth and creamy. **
- When the aubergines have cooked, remove them from the oven, scoop out some of their flesh and add it to the vegetable mixture.
- Spoon some filling into each aubergine half and top with potato and dairy-free cheese. Feel free to mix up which do and don't have a potato topping.
- Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, optionally you can grill them at the end for a couple of minutes, to brown the cheese.
- When serving, top with some optional parsley and lemon wedges. The lemon juice perfectly cut the sweetness of the sweet potato and is divine with aubergine.
Notes
Other Vegan Recipes You May Like:
For another hearty vegan dish – you may like this Vegan Pide ( 2 ways) recipe. Alternatively, you may like this recipe for a delicious and hearty Turkish Green Bean Stew or Vegan Butternut squash & Corn Soup.
I’d LOVE to see your results if you give this recipe a try. So feel free to tag me in any pics @MemoirsSoLuciie and/or #MSLuciierecipes.
Till next time,
And as always: To pin this Vegan stuffed eggplant recipe for later!
