Stuffed Mini Pepper Eggplant Rolls With Herbed Quinoa

If you love to create impressive meals on a budget, this one is for you. It requires a little bit of time, about two hours, but the steps are simple, easy to follow, and the result is so worth it. These rolls are not just absolutely beautiful to look at but also convince with a wonderful combination of exciting flavors.

Ingredients:

For the tofu feta crumbles:

• 8 oz (225 g) extra firm tofu
• 2 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the herbed quinoa:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup (180 g) quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 cups (470 ml) water
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cup (60 g) parsley, minced

For the tomato sauce:

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• generous 3 lb (1400 g) tomatoes, diced
• 5 Tbsp homemade veggie broth concentrate or store-bought granulated vegetable broth to taste
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, if you like it hot)

For the eggplant rolls:

• 1 large eggplant, mine was 1.5 lb (680 g), cut lengthwise into about 1/4 inch (1 cm) slices
• generous 10 oz (300 g) sweet mini peppers, cored
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water (and some more later)
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt

To serve and garnish:

• basil leaves
• lots of dark leafy greens

Preparation:

For the tofu feta, use your hands to crumble tofu into a medium-size bowl. Add remaining feta ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined. Set aside.

Wash and cut all the vegetables. Set oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).

For the herbed quinoa, preheat a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then red onion and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add quinoa, dried herbs, and turmeric. Stir until well combined, then add water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is soft, 10-12 minutes. Stir in minced parsley and set aside.

For the eggplant rolls: stuff mini peppers with herbed quinoa and tofu feta by alternating the stuffing teaspoon by teaspoon. You won’t use all the quinoa and feta, so put the rest aside for later. Whisk together olive oil, warm water, and salt. Pour onto a large, rimmed baking sheet. You can also whisk them together on the baking sheet, whatever you prefer. Lay out eggplant slices and stuffed mini peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet and flip/roll them so both sides are coated with liquid. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes, but keep checking! When all the liquid is absorbed or evaporated, you need to add some more water so peppers and eggplant slices won’t get charred. Eggplant should be soft but not mushy and peppers should still have a little bite. When they are done, let them cool off a little bit so you can touch them.

While eggplants and peppers are in the oven, you can get started with your sauce. Keep checking on them though!!!

For the tomato sauce, preheat a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then onion and sauté over medium heat until soft, 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add broth concentrate, maple syrup, dried herbs, and (optionally) crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes have fallen apart. Use a hand blender to partly puree the sauce. Season to taste.

Pour the tomato sauce into a large baking- or casserole dish. Mine was 13 x 9 inches (33 x 23 cm), and it was perfect. Now assemble the eggplant rolls piece by piece. Use a spatula to transfer the eggplant slices to a cutting board or preferred work surface. Put one stuffed pepper onto the slice and roll it up. These are the steps in pictures:

Follow these steps until all the eggplant slices are rolled up. Place them into the baking/casserole dish with the remaining stuffed peppers.

Top with reserved tofu feta.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for another 20 minutes until feta starts to take on some light golden color and sauce is bubbling.

Warm up remaining quinoa.

Arrange eggplant rolls, stuffed peppers, and quinoa with sauce on warm plates with lots of greens and some basil leaves. Enjoy the dish and the compliments! 🙂