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Rice-stuffed Eggplant

A baked eggplant stuffed with a tomato and rice mixture.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Eggplant and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 271 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Rice-stuffed Eggplant

Makes 6 servings
Oven350°F
Time1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Cook onion, green pepper, and celery in butter in a large skillet.

  2. Push vegetables to one side.

  3. Add rice and cook, stirring, until golden brown.

  4. Meanwhile, cut eggplant in half and scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/2-inch shell.

  5. Cut pulp into small pieces and add to rice mixture.

  6. Stir in tomatoes, salt, basil, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

  7. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Bake and serve

  1. Spoon mixture into eggplant shells.

  2. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

  3. Serve with cheese, if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

685Calories
27 gProtein
30 gFat
80 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Eggplant + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together271 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  2. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Eggplant + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together651 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  5. Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Rice
Absorbs liquid and becomes tender, giving the filling body and a chewy texture.
Eggplant
Forms the edible shell and its pulp adds moisture and soft, creamy bulk to the filling.
Canned tomatoes
Supply liquid and acidity that cook the rice and build the savory sauce base.
Butter or margarine
Fat that softens the vegetables and carries flavour into the skillet mixture.
Onion
Releases sweetness and aroma as it cooks down in the fat, forming the flavour base.

The step that matters

Cook the rice until tender before stuffing. Raw rice will not finish cooking in the shells in the stated time, and the filling needs enough liquid to be absorbed by the rice during the covered simmer so it does not turn dry or gritty.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, celery, butter, rice, eggplant, tomato, basil):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Okrafits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, celery, butter, rice, eggplant, tomato, basil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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