Dinner, Food, Recipes, Vegetables

Stuffed Eggplant and Crispy Baked Okra

Ever wonder what the heck to do with okra?  I personally do not like the slimy stuff unless it’s well, you know, breaded and fried… With that not being an option I have just avoided the vegetable altogether until my friend at Norcal, Katie D. advised me how to make it and now I have a new found affection for the stuff – and I hope you will too!  I recommend that you double or triple the recipe because my kids were eating them like popcorn and I almost did not get any at all!!  We also made the yummiest stuffed eggplant that I highly recommend trying – take advantage of the summer veggies while you can because fall is just around the corner!!

Crispy Baked Okra

About 20 pieces of okra cut into bike sized pieces (makes about 3 cups after cut)

4 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Put the cut okra into a large mixing bowl, cover with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well.  Spread the okra evenly on a cookie sheet and bake in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes. Be sure to stir half way through the cooking time for even crispiness.  Eat immediately!

Stuffed Eggplant

2-3 small eggplants ( I used 2 small Italian and 1 giant Japanese eggplant)

1 red bell pepper diced

1 small red onion diced

6 garlic cloves minced

5 tbsp olive oil

3/4 C julienned sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

1 ½ C chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Remove the green stems from the eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, gently cut out the insides of the eggplant, leaving a eggplant “shell”.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil into the bottom of 9×13 glass baking dish and place the shells of the eggplant on top of the olive oil in the baking dish.  Dice the insides of the eggplant that have been removed.  In a large saute pan, add the 5 tbsp of olive oil, diced eggplant, bell peppers, and onions.  Saute over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.  Add the minced garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Mix well and cook for another minute.  Pile the mixture into the eggplant shells and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the shells are tender.

We served grilled chicken with the eggplant and okra.

Enjoy!!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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23 Comments

  1. Peter Ratner says:

    MMMM – I’m definitely gonna try these out.
    Okra is also great on the grill as a veggie kabob. Toss it in a little olive oil and salt. You need to use two thin bamboo skewers for each kabob, so it doesn’t turn like a little propeller

    1. Hey Peter! I love the grilled okra idea, I’m going to try that for sure! Thank you!

  2. Kath@eatingforliving says:

    I love your blog, and I admire how you cook Paleo meals for your whole family!

    So far, I haven’t tried okra (saw it in the Asia store but didn’t have the heart to buy it because I knew it was slimy and didn’t know what to do with it), but now I think I have to try it!

  3. Looks delicious. When it comes to okra: I just lighly coat it with olive oil, spread it out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle 21 spices and bake it for 10 mins at 400F. Almost tastes as good as grilled okra. Love your website and thanks for all the great cooking ideas 🙂

  4. Jennifer says:

    Read your blog regularly and enjoy it. I’ve tried many of your recipes and look forward to checking your cookbook when it comes out!

    From my Indian mother-in-law who’s a superb vegetarian cook, I learned that okra is only slimy when you cut it when it’s wet. If you wash it and let it air dry completely (or dry the individual veggies off one by one with a dry towel), the slime problem decreases greatly. One of her tricks is to fry them up in mustard oil (available in Indian groceries – I suppose you could also use ghee or grapeseed oil). Let the mustard oil heat up first to the point of just below smoking. Add Indian spices as you’d like – ground coriander is good, and then a little ground cumin, plus a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. From the Indian grocery, you can also get some mango powder to add when the dish is almost done. Top with chopped cilantro before serving. You might also add chopped tomatoes or whole grape tomatoes with the same seasonings, cooked separately with the same oil and spices, and then added at the end. (You want to keep them separate because the moisture they give off might make the cut-up okra slimy.)

    You can also always boil whole okra in broth – think gumbo – and avoid sliminess too!

    1. Jennifer!! Thank you for the okra tip – I’ll be trying this one next week!

  5. Colleen says:

    OK..I tried the okra last night and it was FANTASTIC! I have to admit my kids were a little hesitant and might even have had a comment or two while I was chopping the okra but when it was done..mmmmmmmm! My whole family gobbled it down AND even fought over the last couple pieces! Loved it and love your blog:-)

    1. Hi Colleen!! So glad everyone liked the okra! I’m actually going to make more tonight… Can’t wait! : )

  6. I’m confused, is that 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes or 2-4 cups?

    1. Hi Sam! Ooops, that’s funny actually, I’m glad you caught that – no I didn’t intend for anyone to have to do any math, I meant 3/4 of a cup. Thanks, I’ll fix it! : )

  7. Loved the okra! Not that I’m all that strict but isn’t okra legume? Highly nutritious but technically I think it is.

    1. Hey Roger,
      Okra is biologically considered a fruit but we typically refer to it and cook it as a vegetable. No worries, it is in no way a legume! Here’s a resource: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/okra.html

  8. Hi Sarah,

    I have never ever thought I would buy Okra. But we had just made sweet potato fries so the Okra seemed doable as it is the same concept and in the comments people loved them. So I bought a whole bunch and my daughter absolutely loved them. Thanks for the recipe and the blog. It is fabulous!

  9. The okra recipe was great; I removed them a few minutes early to prevent them from becoming too crispy and browned.

    The stuffed eggplant, though, was a huge disappointment; the flavors were singular (the sundried tomatoes were overpowering, the eggplant flavor lacking) and the overall presentation was greasy and overcooked.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Eric,
      So bummed to hear that the stuffed eggplant didn’t turn out for you! I have made this a few times now and we have always really enjoyed it, wish I knew why it wasn’t so great for you… I’m sorry!! : (

  10. I made this and thought it was really good. I added a handful of chopped white mushrooms and went light on the basil, since it’s not my favorite. My husband thought it would be really good with crab meat. Maybe next time. 😉

    Thanks for the great recipe!

  11. Stephen says:

    I did the okra recipe and they turned out totally burned. Really bummed. Maybe ill try it again but for 15 minutes instead of 25 minutes…

  12. Hi Sarah,

    Just wanted to let you know how much I love and am *depending* on your website these days! Hubby has wanted to try the Paleo thing for a while now, and I recently decided what-the-heck, I’ll give it a month. (Don’t tell him, but I’m actually really getting into it…). Everything I’ve tried off your website so far has been fantastic, and it’s super-encouraging that you have kiddos on it as well, since we’re throwing our 3-year-old into the Paleo mix as well (I’m not the kind of mama that fixes 7 different things just to make everyone happy).

    Okra recipe was amazing…….it’s in season right now and we are burning through some Oven-Fried okra these days. Thank you!!

  13. Tried the Eggplant; Loved it!

  14. Terri Eggeman says:

    Tried the baked eggplant last night and my husband and I loved it. I will be making it often. I bought your book after going gluten free to see if it would help my psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It is so easy to follow that I’m now changing over to paelo. I have liked every recipe I’ve tried so far. A family fav is the butter chicken. I can hardly wait for your cookbook coming out in Sept.

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks so much Terri! So glad you are enjoying the book!

  15. colah says:

    fabulous! I want okra and eggplant so I got both and now I will be using BOTH recipes (altering the stuffing in the eggplant)!

  16. Laura says:

    Thanks for this, Sarah! I was looking at okra at the farmers market and was indecisive, so the farmer gave me some to try. I had no idea what to do with it and I hoped you might! 🙂 Had it tonight! Delicious!! 🙂

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