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This harissa beef stuffed eggplant recipe is the one you want to try before the eggplant season is over. Delish!

This eggplant dish will pair perfectly with a fresh and light salad like Cucumber and Heirloom Tomato Salad.stuffed eggplant

My love affair with eggplant started when I was a little girl. My mum would make fried eggplant and tomato stacks flavoured simply with salt, pepper, garlic and mayonnaise.

They always signaled the end of the summer and the beginning of harvest time for me. I don’t think my dad and brother were as keen on those tasty snacks, so eating them together with my mum became our bonding time!

Before and after shots of roasted eggplants
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Sounds trivial but just think how many friends you’ve made by discovering you shared an affinity for a particular dish or ingredient! Food brings us together. It’s a tremendous force!So this harissa beef stuffed eggplant is a slight spin on the classic version made by my mum. I started cooking this recipe shortly after our first child was born as a tasty, lean meal. Delicious, nutritious and low on calories!Top down shot of Harissa Beef Stuffed Eggplant on a baking sheet

What Is Harissa?

I’ve often cooked this beef stuffed eggplant recipe with Italian flavours of basil and oregano. But this version is reminiscent of the flavours of North Africa with aromatic cumin, cinnamon and spicy harissa.

This beef stuffed eggplant recipe combines the vibrancy of the late summer with its ripe eggplants and warmth and comfort of the autumn that come from cumin and cinnamon.

Hollowed out eggplants in front of pan with stuffing

Harissa is a hot chilli paste originally from North Africa but now readily available around the world. Just look in your ethnic aisle, it will be there! It has a deep flavour, but can be made in all sorts of variations, each with a slightly different flavour profile.

Harissa usually comes as a paste, although it is possible to find harissa powder as well. A fairly small amount of harissa will go a long way and will be a unique and savoury to any dish where it is used.

Eggplants being stuffed with harissa beef

How to Cook Eggplant

If you are not a fan of eggplant you can use butternut squash or zucchini but I do hope you try eggplants. They sometimes have a reputation of being spongy and tasteless but that only happens if they are undercooked.

My go-to eggplant expert, Yotam Ottolenghi, says two things are essential for cooking eggplant to perfection:

  1. Hot oven
  2. Lots of oil

Although I feel the ‘lots of oil’ bit is tweakable, a hot oven is a must. For this recipe I brushed each eggplant half with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and cooked them at 220C/440F for 30 minutes. They came out perfectly scoopable!

Harissa Beef Stuffed Eggplant

More eggplant recipes

Harissa Beef Stuffed Eggplant

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
This harissa beef stuffed eggplant recipe is the one you want to try before the eggplant season is over.
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Ingredients 

  • 2 eggplant, medium
  • 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lbs extra lean ground beef
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1-2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 125 ml/ 1/2 cup stock or water
  • salt to taste
  • 125 g/ 1/2 c plain yogurt
  • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 220C/440F
  • Cut the eggplants lengthways through the stock, score the insides with a sharp knife and brush with 1tsp of olive oil each, salt and arrange on a baking sheet cut side up. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes until golden and the flesh is easily scoopable.
  • Meanwhile cook the beef filling. In a large pan heat the olive oil and cook the onion over low heat for 5-7 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer without allowing the garlic to colour, otherwise it will taste bitter.
  • Add the beef and brown until no longer pink, then add cumin, cinnamon, tomato paste, 1 or 2 tbsp of harissa paste, depending on how spicy you like it. Stir everything together, then add stock or water. Salt the beef mixture last as harissa paste and stock will have various amounts of salt.
  • Bring the beef to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid is cooked away but the mixture is not dry.
  • When the eggplants are cooked, let them cool slightly, and then remove the flesh. Cutting alongside the edge of the eggplant while leaving a 2 cm border makes it easier to do. Chop up the eggplant flesh and add it to the beef, stir to combine.
  • Stuff the eggplant with the beef mixture and cook in the oven at 180C/350F for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven when piping hot. Drizzle with plain yogurt and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
  • You can serve with additional yogurt sauce and a harissa paste swirled into. (If your harissa paste is too thick, thin it out with water.)

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 795mg | Potassium: 1142mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 336IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Julia from Vikalinka

About Me

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. Jane Harkins says:

    I needed needed to double the recipe so I used a pound of ground pork with the ground beef, which was very tasty. I also used Harissa spice (dried) and added to taste. Sour cream substitutes well for yogurt, as I was out.

    1. Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says:

      Sounds delicious, Jane!!

  2. Ted says:

    I have a Persian friend who gave me a very similar recipe.

    The second bake she spreads hummus on top. Itโ€™s fabulous!

    1. Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says:

      It does sound delicious, Ted!! I need to try it.

  3. Afra says:

    5 stars
    Super easy and very tasty! I think I will also be making this for the next 13 years and more. I added 400g sliced shitake once the meat was browned. When the sauce was cooked I added a can of chickpeas. I also had some more yoghurt on the side mixed with chopped cucumber. Thanks so much for this fabulous recipe!

    1. vikalinka says:

      Sounds amazing, Afra. I love your additions to this recipe!

  4. Mary says:

    5 stars
    So yummy!

    1. vikalinka says:

      So glad you enjoyed this stuffed eggplant recipe, Mary!

  5. Megan says:

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious last night. So easy and yummy. Harrissa from our local deli was amazing. Thank you!

    1. vikalinka says:

      Harissa is a fantastic ingredient! So happy to hear you loved it, Megan!

  6. Marta / What should I eat for breakfast today says:

    You just made me miss my oven even more!

    1. vikalinka says:

      I can only imagine, Marta! Hopefully you can be reunited with your oven soon!