Stuffed Eggplant
Updated Feb 16, 2026
A traditional Lebanese stuffed eggplant recipe made with small Italian eggplants, seasoned beef, rice, and tomato sauce.
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Make beef-stuffed eggplant with rice!
Stuffed Eggplant (also known as mahshi) is one of my favorite family recipes that I learned from my parents. It’s a popular Lebanese recipe using eggplant stuffed with a rice and meat mixture and cooked in a tomato broth (similar to kousa). The flavor is rich and unique, but the ingredients are simple and accessible. You just need to get your hands on some small eggplants.
This stuffed eggplant recipe is one that I grew up eating and one that serves a large family. It’s a labor of love, but the outcome is always so cherished by everyone that it’s iconic on our family table. Plus it makes for lots of leftovers!!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Stuffed Eggplant Ingredients
- Eggplant: Look for baby eggplant (or Italian eggplant) that are about the size of your palm. You want them to be small, but still wide enough for coring. You can use larger eggplants if that’s all you can find, but the smaller ones are more flavorful for this dish.
- For the filling: I use lean ground beef, but you could also use lamb or ground turkey (or a combination). Chopped yellow onion, 7 Spice, salt, and pepper cook with the beef for flavor, and short-grain rice turns the mixture into a hearty filling. If you don’t have 7 Spice, you can use allspice or cinnamon.
- Tomato: I seal each eggplant shut with a chunk of tomato so no filling comes out during cooking.
- For the tomato broth: Combine olive oil, tomato paste, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and water into a saucy, flavorful broth.
How to Make Stuffed Eggplant
Stuffed Eggplant Recipe
This authentic Lebanese stuffed baby eggplant recipe has a spiced beef & rice stuffing and cooks in a garlicky tomato broth!
Video
Ingredients
- 16-18 small Italian eggplants
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons 7 Spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups short grain rice rinsed
- 2 large tomatoes cut into 16-18 chunks
Tomato Broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups water plus more if needed
Instructions
- Cut off the stalks of the eggplant. Using an apple corer, carefully hollow out the eggplant and remove the flesh without puncturing the outside of the eggplant. You can reserve the flesh for another recipe.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ground beef, and season with 7 Spice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, until the beef is browned. Add the uncooked rice and stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Using a small spoon or your hands, fill the hollowed-out inside of each eggplant with the rice stuffing. Be sure to leave about ¼ inch of empty space at the top since the rice will expand when cooked. Then stuff a tomato chunk on top to seal the eggplant and prevent the stuffing from coming out while cooking. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. If you have any leftover stuffing, you can cook it separately with water.
- To make the tomato broth, heat the olive oil in the pot used to cook the beef over medium heat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water and stir to combine.
- Transfer the stuffed eggplant to the deep pot, making sure they're almost entirely submerged in the tomato broth. Add one more cup of water if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Place a heatproof plate directly on top of the eggplant to hold them in place and cook covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking for 15 more minutes, or until the sauce is reduced and the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve the stuffed eggplant warm with the tomato broth on top.
Notes
I updated this recipe in February 2026 to use small baby eggplants. The recipe video uses larger eggplants, but the recipe is still the same.
My Top Tip: Don’t fully stuff the eggplant. Leave about ¼ inch of room, because the rice will expand when it cooks.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container. They’ll last about 3–4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freezing: Place the cooled stuffed eggplants in a freezer-safe container. They’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Alternatively, you can freeze the uncooked hollowed-out eggplants in freezer-safe containers, and the stuffing mixture (with uncooked rice) in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and cook in fresh tomato broth.
Nutrition
Serving: 3eggplants, Calories: 472kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 1050mg, Potassium: 1165mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 777IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
This recipe video uses larger eggplants, but the recipe is still the same.
Recipe Variations
- Enhance the stuffing: Stir pine nuts or raisins into the filling mixture before you stuff the eggplant.
- Add fresh herbs: Mix in some chopped fresh parsley, oregano, or basil before stuffing the eggplant. Reserve a handful to sprinkle on top after baking.
- Top with cheese: Serve with crumbled feta or goat cheese on top.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t toss the flesh that you remove from the eggplant. Use it in an omelette, in a stir fry with bell peppers and onions, or in a soup. It’s so good!
- Use a deep pot. You want the stuffed eggplant to be almost entirely covered by the tomato broth. If they’re not, add more water as needed.
- Don’t fully stuff the eggplant. Leave about ¼ inch of room, because the rice will expand when it cooks.
- Set a heatproof round plate on top of the eggplant while cooking. This prevents the eggplant from moving around too much and bruising.
- But if the broth looks watery, take the plate off. The broth will reduce as it cooks, but if it looks too thin, remove the plate to help it thicken up.
FAQs
Can I make the stuffed eggplant ahead of time?
You can make the stuffing up to 2 days in advance. You can also core the eggplant a few days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to stuff it.
How can I make this recipe vegetarian?
You can make this beef-stuffed eggplant recipe vegetarian (and vegan, actually) by replacing the ground beef with a mixture of parsley, tomatoes, and green onions. It’s similar to the stuffing I use when I make vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.
Comments
Hiya, if I want to omit the beef what changes to the recipe should I make? More rice?
Good question! You can use a mixture of parsley, tomatoes, and green onions similar to the stuffing I use when I make Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves.
I love it! The eggplants became very soft and full of flavour. I do have a lot of ground meat and rice leftover… will use that tomorrow with the flesh of the eggplants and a new tomato broth to make a stew. Two dishes in one ๐
That sounds so good!!
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