Wow guests with your stuffing skills by making Stuffed Eggplant or as we call it in Arabic, Batinjan Mahshi. This is inspired by a traditional Lebanese food recipe however this is a plant based version. What I really love about this meal is the explosion of taste. Stuffed eggplant can be eaten alone for lunch or dinner or serve it with a fresh salad. Each eggplant is a serving on its own.

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What you'll need to make this Stuffed Eggplant
- 6 med-large Eggplants Aubergine
- 2 ½ cups Long grain rice Par cooked
- 1 cup Parsley medium chopped
- 1 cup pine nuts dry roasted
- 2 cups Mixed veggies Frozen peas, carrots, corn
- ¼ cup Pomegranate molasses
- ½ cup Tomato paste
- ½ tsp Dried mint
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp 7 spice
- ½ tsp Ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 400 g Diced tomato (canned)
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 20 0degrees Celcius (392 degrees Farenheit)
- Cut off ends of eggplants
- Wash and dry eggplants
- Using a manakra*, core eggplants. Set flesh aside (we will be making another dish with this)
- Set cored eggplant aside
Stuffing Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, combine very well; par cooked rice, parsely, pine nuts, mixed veggies, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, dried mint, garlic, salt, pepper, 7 spice
- Using a spoon, place stuffing into the eggplants. Every so often tapping side and bottom of eggplant until it is filled. Leave a 1 cm gap from the brim to allow for rice to expand
- Add ½ tablespoon olive oil into the tops of the eggplants, allowing the olive oil to soak through
Adding Sauce
- In a deep baking dish, lay each eggplant next to each other
- Evenly cover eggplants in sauce
- Wrap dish with foil and place in the middle of the oven to bake for approx 50-60 minutes
- To check if eggplant is cooked, stick a fork into the eggplants and if the fork is easily able to pierce through, eggplants are now cooked.
Tips for making Batinjan Mahshi
Long grain rice can be substituted for basmati rice
Slivered almonds can be added or used instead of pine nuts
Left over stuffing can be used to stuff tomato or zucchini. Check out my Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini (Kousa Mahshi) or mahshi selek stuffed chard leaves.
Eggplant flesh should be used to make Baba Ganouj (Eggplant Dip) With Mint recipe
Use a really good manakra (zucchini / eggplant corer)* to flesh out each eggplant, it will make this task a lot easier. Here is one I prefer*
Fork marks on the cooked stuffed eggplant indicating the eggplant is cooked
Stuffed Eggplants that have cut in half showing the cooked contents of rice, mixed vegetables and pine nuts
Here's another wonderful recipe for Georgian food eggplant with walnuts recipe. if you like stuffed vegetables, try my Stuffed Zucchini's called Kousa Mahshi or stuffed Lebanese grape leaves called warak enab.
📖 Recipe
Stuffed Eggplant (Lebanese Batinjan Mahshi)
Ingredients
- 6 med-large Eggplants Aubergine
Stuffing
- 2 ½ cups Long grain rice Par cooked
- 1 cup Parsley medium chopped
- 1 cup pine nuts dry roasted
- 2 cups Mixed veggies Frozen peas, carrots, corn
- ¼ cup Pomegranate molasses
- ½ cup Tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon Dried mint
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon 7 spice
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Sauce
- 400 g Diced tomato (canned)
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 20 0degrees Celcius (392 degrees Farenheit)
- Cut off ends of eggplants
- Wash and dry eggplants
- Using a manakra, core eggplants. Set flesh aside (we will be making another dish with this)
- Set cored eggplant aside
Stuffing Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, combine very well; par cooked rice, parsely, pine nuts, mixed veggies, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, dried mint, garlic, salt, pepper, 7 spice
- Using a spoon, place stuffing into the eggplants. Every so often tapping side and bottom of eggplant until it is filled. Leave a 1 cm gap from the brim to allow for rice to expand
- Add ½ tablespoon olive oil into the tops of the eggplants, allowing the olive oil to soak through
Adding Sauce
- In a deep baking dish, lay each eggplant next to each other
- Evenly cover eggplants in sauce
- Wrap dish with foil and place in the middle of the oven to bake for approx 50-60 minutes
- To check if eggplant is cooked, stick a fork into the eggplants and if the fork is easily able to pierce through, eggplants are now cooked.
Equipment
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
Jess
Want to try this recipe but I dont have any of the small, green Lebanese kousa. I only have 1 giant purple North American kind. Can I substitute 1 giant purple for small kousa in this recipe? Help!
plantbasedfolk
Hi Jess, yes you should be able to stuff one giant zucchini - I have done this before. I might take a little longer to cook though due to the size.
Enjoy!
J X
Dana
Just discovered your amazing, deliciously-looking vegan recipes! I want to make this next week. However, to me it is not clear how you make the sauce or what you use as sauce?
plantbasedfolk
Hi Dana,
Here's the part for the sauce
1/4 cup Pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup Tomato paste
1/2 tsp Dried mint
3 cloves Garlic crushed
1 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp 7 spice
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
400 g Diced tomato (canned)
2 tbsp Tomato paste
1 1/2 cup water
I will fix the post up and make it clearer. Thank you! Enjoy! J x