My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!
This Eggplant Pide is a delicious vegan meal! It is stuffed with creamy kidney beans and brown basmati rice to keep you full and happy!
What is a PIDE? Pide is a flatbread shaped like a long boat that can have various toppings. It is one of the most prevalent dishes in Turkey. It is somewhat like a pizza in a shape of a boat with edges tucked in so that the toppings can stay inside of the “boat”.
Since Pide is made with dough, it isn’t the healthiest thing out there. Eggplants came to mind as a natural substitute since they’re shaped like a boat already! #winwin
P.S. I must give credit to my husband for naming this dish a “Pide”. I was going for the Eggplant Boats and when he saw my creation in the kitchen, he immediately called it a Pide!
For this recipe, we will be stuffing these Eggplant Pides with brown basmati rice and red kidney beans plus other complimentary ingredients.
Brown basmati rice is essentially a long grain brown rice. Long grain rice is always more superior from a nutritional standpoint vs. short or medium grain rice. Long grain rice has a complex carb structure and is a low glycemic food. The short grain rice has high glycemic index and low nutritional value. Therefore, when choosing which rice to cook, always go for the long grain rice.
The second main ingredient is red kidney beans. They’re so creamy and hearty, I just can’t help myself 😉 Technically, you can use any type of beans that suit your fancy in this recipe. I decided to go with red kidney beans as I haven’t had them in a while and it’s always a good idea to mix up the ingredients from time to time.
Some nutritional value of red kidney beans:
- Complex carbohydrates
- High in iron to boost your energy
- Fiber all star
- Vitamin B1 which is critical for brain cell function
- Manganese that plays an important role in energy production
- And, of course, protein!
These Eggplant Pides are great and juicy on their own. If you would like to add some dressing or sauce, the two best ones would be my all time fave easy vegan tzadziki sauce or simplefit tahini dressing.
Now, let’s get cooking!
If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to hashtag #simplefitvegan on Instagram!
Hearty and satisfying Eggplant Pide stuffed with creamy kidney beans and brown basmati rice.
- 3 medium eggplants
- ½ cup brown basmati rice
- 1 can red kidney beans or freshly cooked beans
- ½ cup dill
- ¼ cup tomatoes, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ red onion
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
-
Start by making the brown rice. Add 1 cup of water to ½ cup of rice and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
-
Heat up oven to 400F.
-
Cut each eggplant lengthwise and scoop out the middle. Save this “middle” part of the eggplant – we will cook it later.
-
Spray a little olive oil over the eggplants and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 25 mins.
-
While eggplants are baking, sauté garlic and onions over medium heat.
-
Chop the eggplants that we saved earlier and add it to the pan.
-
Add all the spices and stir.
-
Once eggplants start to get soft, add tomatoes and water. Stir, cover with lid, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
-
Add cooked brown basmati rice to the mixture along with red kidney beans and dill and stir. Take off the heat.
-
Take the baked eggplant boats from the oven and start filling them in with the rice and veggie mixture.
-
You can serve them just like that or pair with vegan tzatziki sauce or simplefit tahini dressing.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 167 Fat: 5.8 g Saturated fat: 0.7 g Carbohydrates: 27.4 g Dietary Fiber: 12.5 g Sugar: 9.1 g Sodium: 307 mg Protein: 5.9 g
Click Below to Pin
My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!
Leave a Reply