This couscous stuffed aubergine recipe makes a tasty vegan meal. The aubergine is stuffed with a filling of couscous, tomatoes, chickpeas and fresh herbs and is great eaten warm and freshly roasted as well as cold the next day. You can also eat the couscous stuffing as a salad.
Welcome to another month of Secret Recipe Club, the fantastic club where we are assigned to another food blog and can read and try out their recipes and finally pick one of their best ones to remake and showcase on our own blog.
A blog with sweet and savoury recipes
This month for Secret Recipe Club my blog assignment was Smells Like Brownies. Well with a name like that I at first expected to find a blog full of baking and sweet treats. Imagine my delight when I immediately saw a really great savoury recipe. And another . And another. I soon discovered that Smells Like Brownies is the absolute best kind of food blog. There are some really really enticing looking desserts but luckily there are just as many, in fact more equally enticing healthy and savoury recipes.
You see, I love desserts but I don't make a lot of them and what I really love to make for my family every day are simple healthy but delicious meals. This blog definitely satisfied that craving and allowed me to feast my eyes on desserts too, even if I wasn't going to make them!
Smells Like Brownies is written by Melissa and in many ways she is a lot like me. She is a stay at home mum to 2 beautiful children and we both know the joys of playing with lego, doing artwork and baking with our children.
Tempted by these roasted aubergines
I chose to make these couscous stuffed aubergines /eggplants as the picture just jumped out at me when I saw it. I love roasted aubergines and I knew I wanted to eat this! Some of the flesh is removed from the aubergines and they are roasted in the oven while the filling of aubergine, onion, garlic, tomatoes and chickpeas is stir fried before being mixed with the couscous and some fresh herbs and served inside the roasted aubergines. The tahini sauce is then drizzled over the top.
How I adapted the recipe
Melissa's original recipe for the couscous stuffed aubergines contains black beans but I had some chickpeas leftover from another recipe and so it seemed a good way to use them. I'd happily eat any kind of bean in these! I have to admit I made extra filling rather than discarding some of the flesh. I love aubergines and it seemed a shame to waste any of it. It turned out to be a wise move. The filling is gorgeous inside the roasted aubergines but it is just as yummy when it isn't stuffed inside anything. You could eat is as a meal in itself or as a side dish for fish, chicken or lamb.
If you are just as tempted as I am by beautiful pictures of delicious vegetarian food then do take a look at Melissa's blog and especially at these Red-Handed Beet Burgers and these Monster Green Pea Burgers with Roots and Greens. Yes, I know they are both burgers but just take a look and then you'll understand why I was tempted!
And if you are still reading and you are wondering when it's time for dessert then look no further than Melissa's Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Gingersnap Crust!
Recipe
Couscous Stuffed Aubergine with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines
- 100 g uncooked couscous
- 1 onion diced
- 1 large clove of garlic crushed
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes diced
- 200 g tin of chickpeas Or black beans
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander cilantro
For the Tahini Sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 small clove of garlic crushed
- 50 ml water
- pinch black Pepper
- 1 lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Cut each aubergine in half. Score and then scoop out the flesh from the inside leaving about 1cm left attached to the skin.
- Brush the aubergines with a little oil, place them cut side down on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- While the aubergines are roasting, cover the couscous with boiling water and leave it to soak it up.
- Heat a little oil in a sauce pan and cook the onion over a gentle heat until softened then add the garlic. Cook for another minute then add the tomatoes, diced aubergine flesh and chickpeas. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes until the aubergine pieces are cooked through.
- Make the sauce by whisking together all the sauce ingredients. I just used a fork but you could use a food processor.
- Stir the couscous into the vegetables mixture along with the coriander. Spoon this mixture into the aubergines halves.
- Serve the tahini sauce drizzled over the aubergines .
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Vegan Recipes
Try one of my other vegan recipes!
Or how about trying my kabocha squash stuffed with black quinoa? Or aubergine in chilli bean paste?
Pin for Later
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you try this stuffed aubergine recipe. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Monika
These look so yummy, the combination of flavours sounds really nice. This is definitely my kind of dish:)
Corina
So pleased you like them Monika!
Nicole @ yumsome
Ooh, Corina - this looks uber-gorgeous. So much so, in fact, that I am going to make it for dinner tonight. Like, errrr, right now!
Corina
I do hope you enjoyed it Nicole!
Nicole @ yumsome
Absolutely gorgeous, Corina!
Corina
Aww thank you Nicole!
Basement Bakehouse
Yummy! I've recently discovered that I like aubergines, after years of swearing blind that I couldn't stand them! I'm going to give these a go!
Corina
I love it when that happens! Although I always wish I'd tried the offending food earlier!
hijackedbytwins
Oooh this looks so good. I love finding new ways to use aubergines! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Corina
So pleased you like it! I'm a big aubergine fan but a little bit stuck in a rut so this was something a bit new for me too.
prateekdasgupta
I love couscous and i love eggplants. I have had something similar with the eggplant grilled on top of the couscous but this is different, lovely recipe!
Corina
I think I've often done it that way around in the past! It's always good to have a few variations up your sleeve!
Amy CookingAdventures
These look just lovely!
Corina
Thank you Amy!
Heidi Roberts
This recipe has everything in it I love - will be trying soon!
Corina
Thanks Heidi! I hope you enjoy it.
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
I've been on a big tahini kick lately - it adds such a lovely, unexpected flavor to foods. This sounds delicious!
Corina
I need to use tahini more often. I hadn't used it for ages before I made this recipe but I really like it!
champagne-tastes
btw I don't see a whole lot of people using the sela theme- nice taste 😉 I use it too!
Corina
Great minds!
champagne-tastes
I LOVE this! I haven't tried a whole lot of eggplant recipes (I usually make parmesan with it), but I need to branch out. This sounds amazing!
Corina
I probably need to branch out and make eggplant with parmesan! It's one of my favourite vegetables but a lot of the time I just roast it as side dish.
taramkimball
This looks amazing. I'm going to have to try it.
Corina
I do hope you like it!
Sue/theviewfromgreatisland
This looks wonderful, I can almost smell it now! I 'm always on the lookout for new and exciting meatless meals 🙂
Corina
Thank you Sue!
Renee Nicole's Kitchen
This looks so hearty, which is not something I usually think about vegetarian food. Loving the couscous filling!
Corina
Thank you! It is quite filling which I always think is great - I hate to get too hungry between meals!
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Oh wow - this is such a lovely recipe! So my kind of food - simple, healthy and I am sure very tasty!! Really wish I was having this for my lunch today 🙂 Pinning to my Must Make board!! Eb x
Corina
So pleased you like it! I wish I was having it more often too. x
Mandy Mazliah
This is just the kind of food I love to eat - must try this recipe and I will also check out Smells Like Brownies as sounds like it'll be full of lovely recipes. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare
Corina
I'm so pleased you like them and I'm sure you'll love Smells Like Brownies too!
Elaine @ foodbod
Love love love!
Corina
Aw thank you Elaine!
Elaine @ foodbod
xxx
Farrah
I love stuffed veggies! :] These look so good! (So glad I don't dislike eggplant anymore!!)
Corina
Stuffed veggies are great aren't they? In fact, I used to avoid them thinking they were boring but over the last few years I've completely changed my mind. Luckily I've always liked aubergine!
Julie
Beautiful! SO wish hubby liked eggplant. I will b making this for myself one of these nights soon.
Corina
My hubby is not a big fan of aubergine either so I can't make meals like this all the time but luckily I can get away with it every now and again!
Wendy Klik
OH these are right up my alley. We are having these for Meatless Monday very soon.
Corina
They are delicious so hope you enjoy!
Kathy Walker
What an unusual dish! It has all of the ingredients that say "Make me!" And, I will! Great SRC selection.
Corina
Thank you and I hope you like it Kathy!
Laura
I love aubergines, looks yummy !
Corina
Thank you Laura! I am a big aubergine fan too!
why i am not skinny
this is DEFINITELY going on my *make* list!
They truly look like delicious (and are healthy too!)...
Great SRC choice
Corina
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!