Baked aubergines stuffed with rice, a summer one-dish meal
Aubergines filled with half-cooked rice, their own chopped flesh, cherry tomatoes and parmesan: the rice finishes cooking inside the shells and soaks up all the flavour.
Are you looking for a summer one-dish meal that genuinely fills you up, can be made ahead and uses aubergines without any frying?
Then these aubergines stuffed with rice are for you. I will walk you through cooking the rice only halfway and letting it finish inside the aubergine, where it soaks up the tomato juices and the sweetness of the flesh.
That is the whole point of the recipe. Fully cooked rice collapses into a soft mass, raw rice stays hard in the middle. Half-cooked, it behaves like a baked risotto: it absorbs liquid, takes on flavour and stays separate.
There are at least three good reasons to make it: it is a complete meal on its own, it can be prepared ahead, and it is just as good cold, which makes it perfect for a packed lunch or an outdoor table.
One touch I recommend is the grated lemon zest in the filling. It is not traditional, but it removes the slightly heavy feeling stuffed aubergines can have and makes the basil stand out. If you like heat, a pinch of chilli in the sautéed flesh works just as well.
Serve them warm, once the filling has settled and the parmesan crust is still crisp. They keep for two days in the fridge and reheat in five minutes.
Ready? Let’s get started with aubergines stuffed with rice.
Steps
- Halve the aubergines lengthways, score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern and scoop it out with a spoon, leaving a half-centimetre border. Set the flesh aside and chop it with a knife.
- Salt the shells lightly and leave them cut side down for 10 minutes, then dry them, brush with oil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes: they need a head start on the filling.
- Boil the rice in salted water for half the time on the packet, no more: it will finish cooking in the oven, absorbing the aubergine juices. Drain and cool it under cold water.
- Fry the chopped flesh in a pan with the oil and crushed garlic over high heat for 8 minutes, until tender and dry, then add the quartered cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the garlic, stir in the drained rice, half the parmesan, the grated lemon zest, the torn basil, salt and pepper.
- Fill the shells with the mixture without pressing it down, pour the hot water or broth into the base of the tin and finish with the remaining parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes to brown the top. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Helpful tips
Drain the rice halfway through cooking: fully cooked it turns mushy, raw it stays hard in the centre.
The liquid in the base of the tin is not optional: that steam is what lets the rice finish cooking.
The lemon zest is not traditional but it lightens the filling and lifts the basil.
They are excellent warm or cold the next day, which makes them ideal for a packed lunch.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 48.0 g
- Sugars
- 6.0 g
- Protein
- 11.0 g
- Fat
- 13.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.0 g
- Fiber
- 6.0 g
- Sodium
- 480 mg
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