Vegetarian stuffed eggplants, known in Arabic as batinjan mahshi, are a Lebanese dish of eggplants hollowed out, filled with herbed rice and vegetables and simmered in a tangy tomato and pomegranate molasses sauce until tender. This version of this Middle Eastern classic is vegan friendly too.

Before You Start

The one mistake to avoid: don't buy bent eggplants. They're nearly impossible to core and fill, so pick straight ones that are all a similar size.
Use an electric corer: it's the easiest way to hollow the eggplants and a few of you have told me it was worth buying. I've linked the tool I use below.
Keep the simmer gentle: bring the pot to a soft boil, then turn the heat down to low right away. Don't let it reach a rumbling boil.
Serve with freshly cut onion on the side or a crisp Arab salad.

two cooked long eggplants in a red sauce in a white plate — Batinjan Mahshi has so much flavor and is a great way to use those eggplants

A Quick Note from Janelle

In Arabic, batinjan means eggplant and mahshi means stuffed. You'll also see it spelled batenjen mehchi, batinjan mashi, or mahshi batinjan, depending on who's writing the Arabic in English letters.

These Lebanese vegetarian stuffed eggplants are based on my family's traditional dish, which is usually made with a rice and ground meat filling. Here the filling is made with vegetables, herbs, rice and spices instead. And you won't even care that it's meatless as it's that delish!

Flavor profile: batinjan mahshi is savory and tangy, with a rich tomato base, a mild sweetness from the peas and a hint of mint. The pine nuts add crunch against the tender eggplant.

The Lebanese know how to cook good eggplant, like this stew called maghmour or fried called batinjan mekli. There are so many more ways we cook eggplant, check out that list!

If you like stuffing vegetables, kousa mahshi is the zucchini version and my stuffed baked onions are a good one to try next as they are the easiest to make IMO. One of my most popular recipes is my vegetarian Lebanese stuffed peppers, yum the flavors!!

two cooked eggplants in a white plate with a spoonful of the rice filling from one of the eggplants

Ingredients

I'll take you through the ingredients that require some explanation, the rest I believe to be straightforward. The full list is found in the recipe card below.

eggplant, tomato, onion, frozen peas, fresh herbs, spices, rice and garlic laid out in white bowls

Eggplants are the star of the show. Choose straight, firm, long and narrow eggplants that are similar in size, about 15cm (6 inches) long with good girth. These are known as Chinese or Japanese eggplants. Skip eggplants that are too skinny (tedious to core) or bent (they won't hollow out). Other types work too, including globe, Indian and Italian, but the type changes how much filling you'll need and globe eggplants are very large, so think about how you'll serve them.

Medium-grain rice is the main filler in these rice stuffed eggplants. Long grain works too.

Onion and tomato are finely chopped, almost minced and go into the filling. Use a firm yet ripe tomato.

Parsley is finely chopped, leaves and soft stems only. Dried mint adds a touch of coolness and a little goes a long way. Finely chopped fresh mint works too.

Garlic adds a pungent and aromatic note. You can skip it if you prefer.

Olive oil is down to one tablespoon. If you're oil-free, leave it out.

Pomegranate molasses is sweet and tangy and goes into both the filling and the sauce. I highly recommend not skipping it. You can find it at a Middle Eastern grocer or in most major supermarkets. Otherwise grab it online here.

Pine nuts are dry toasted in a pan to bring out their natural oils and nutty flavor. Frozen peas add a mild sweetness.

Tomato paste gives the filling its rich tomato flavor and is diluted in water to make the sauce.

Lebanese 7 spice is a warming blend with bold flavor, also called baharat. Make it using my recipe, buy it at your local Middle Eastern grocer, or get it online here.

What I Use to Make This Recipe

pomegranate molasses

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7 spice

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corer

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Core, Fill, and Simmer

The full instructions are in the recipe card below. These are the steps worth seeing.

two long eggplants one with its top cut off and a knife on a timber chopping board

Cut off the tops of the eggplants.

a female hand holding a hollowed eggplant with the electric corer on a chopping board and the flesh of the eggplant

Hollow them with an electric corer. (Tip: Reserve the eggplant flesh to make baba ghanouj or use it in a fry-up.)

a bowl filled with uncooked rice and vegetables in a tomato paste

Make the filling.

long eggplants stuffed with rice and vegetables

Fill each eggplant with the rice mixture, tapping and massaging gently so the filling settles to the bottom.

Lay the stuffed eggplants in the pot and pour the sauce over the top.

a plate on top of long eggplants in a red sauce in a pot

Place a heat-safe plate on top, cover and simmer until tender.

a white plate with a cooked eggplant split open to show its rice and vegetable filling in a red sauce

Janelle's Tips

Eggplants are malleable, so gently massage them to help the rice settle down inside.
If you have leftover filling, which can happen depending on the size of your eggplants, use it to stuff tomatoes, zucchini, or peppers and cook them in the same pot.
Cooking time varies. Pierce the skin with a fork and if it goes through with ease, the eggplants are cooked.
Storage: once cooled to room temperature, keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat as needed.