These Eggplant Salad Stuffed Tomatoes are definitely a must-try! They're simple to make and taste great! The salad, aka The Tomato Stuffing, is soft, yet the walnuts add crunchiness. It's tangy, yet sweet. It's a perfect combination!

Like these Cod Liver Deviled Eggs or Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps can be served as an appetizer or as salad.
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Main Ingredients:
- Eggplant: I used the Globe (American) Eggplant. But, any eggplant will work in this recipe. Choose the younger kinds, because older/overripe eggplants tend to have a more bitter taste. Younger eggplants have a more glossy/shiny skin and no bruices or brown patches.
- Garlic: adds a little spice to the recipe. Because the garlic is cooked with the eggplant, it doesn't have that overpowering garlicky taste.
- Tomatoes: Cocktail tomatoes are perfect for stuffing. They are larger than the grape and cherry tomatoes, but smaller than the plum tomatoes. Cocktail Tomatoes are usually available at any grocery store. Choose firmer tomatoes.
- Cheese: I used grated Mozzarella cheese. It works great in the recipe. But, you can also use white cheddar, or other similar cheeses.
- Walnuts: chopped, or simply break into smaller pieces by hand. Walnuts add a little crunch to the recipe, but are optional - in case of allergies, for example.
Preparation:
- Prepare the eggplant: Wash eggplant under cool water and pat dry. Trim off both ends of the eggplant and slice lengthwise into approximately 1/2 inch slices. Cut each slice into small cubes. Add two tablespoons of cooking oil, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1, medium, crushed garlic clove. Toss well to combine.
- Toast the Walnuts and Cook the Eggplant: Heat a large, non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Add the chopped walnuts and allow to slightly brown, stirring occassionally (about 2 minutes - careful not to burn). Transfer walnuts to a small plate. Add the diced eggplant to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occassionally, until softened (about 7 minutes). Add a little more cooking oil if necessary. Transfer the cooked eggplant onto a paper towel lined plate. Allow eggplant to cool.
- Prepare the tomatoes: While the eggplant is cooling, slice each cocktail tomato into half, lengthwise (through the "equator" line). Using a teaspoon, gently scoop out the tomato seeds and the core out of each tomato half. Save the seeds and core to be used in the salad (place on cutting board). Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a plate or serving dish.
- Prepare the salad: Dice the tomato cores and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese, the toasted walnuts and the cooked eggplant. Stir in 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise and stir well.
- Stuff the tomato halves: Scoop about 1 heaping teaspoon of the salad and place into the tomato half. Repeat until all halves are filled with the salad. Top with chopped dill, to garnish (optional).




Frequently Asked Questions
You can, absolutely, make this recipe one day before and store it in the refrigerator. Make everything except for the tomatoes. Scoop out the tomato flesh the day you serve the appetizers. Otherwise, the salad will become runny. Make sure to take the salad out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving, so it reaches room temperature.
Garlic is optional, but I do recommend using it. It gives the salad a nice kick. You can also try adding less garlic.
Salt is usually added to get rid of the bitterness of the eggplant. But, today's varieties of eggplants are less bitter than they used to be, so, in short, there is no need to salt the eggplant or to soak it in saltwater before cooking. For more information on this, Chowhound.com explains it perfectly.
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Recipe

Eggplant Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant 300 gm. or 10 oz., diced into small cubes
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small garlic clove crushed
- 1 handful walnuts 30 gm. or 1 oz., crushed
- 4 cocktail tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or white cheddar
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dill chopped - to garnish - optional
Instructions
- Prepare the eggplant: Wash eggplant under cool water and pat dry. Trim off both ends of the eggplant and slice lengthwise into approximately 1/2 inch slices. Cut each slice into small cubes. Add two tablespoons of cooking oil, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1, medium, crushed garlic clove. Toss well to combine.
- Toast the Walnuts and Cook the Eggplant: Heat a large, non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Add the chopped walnuts and allow to slightly brown, stirring often (about 2 minutes - careful not to burn). Transfer walnuts to a small plate. Add the diced eggplant to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 7 minutes). Add a little more cooking oil if necessary. Transfer the cooked eggplant onto a paper towel lined plate. Allow eggplant to cool. Add more salt and/or crushed garlic, to taste.
- Prepare the tomatoes: While the eggplant is cooling, slice each cocktail tomato into half, lengthwise (through the "equator" line). Using a teaspoon, gently scoop out the tomato seeds and the core out of each tomato half. Save the seeds and core to be used in the salad (place on cutting board). Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a plate or serving dish, and set aside.
- Prepare the salad: Dice the tomato cores, drain any excess tomato juice, and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese, the toasted walnuts, and the cooked eggplant. Stir in 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise and stir well.
- Stuff the tomato halves: Scoop about 1 heaping teaspoon of the salad and place into the tomato half. Repeat until all halves are filled with the salad. Top with chopped dill, to garnish (optional).
Notes
- If toasting walnuts, be very careful not to burn them, they toast fast!
- 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise is usually plenty, but you can add another teaspoon if you find the salad is too dry.
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