9 recipes for preparing eggplants stuffed with vegetables for the winter

A few jars of stuffed eggplant, sealed for the winter, are guaranteed to be the first to be eaten, so it's best to prepare more of them using different fillings. Fill the blue ones with any vegetables you like, using seasonings or doing without them. Anyone who has ever tried eggplants stuffed with vegetables, prepared for the winter according to a simple recipe, will regularly include this delicious dish on the menu.

Features of preparing stuffed eggplants for the winter

Eggplants are bitter (except for hybrids labeled F1), because they contain the alkaloid solanine, which gives the blue ones a specific taste. The highest content of the substance is in large (more than 30 cm in length), dark and overripe eggplants with rough skin, but it all depends on the type of crop. The most delicious and healthy ones are small (up to 15 cm), shiny and unripe.

Due to the presence of solanine in the composition, you cannot eat these vegetables raw (only young ones) and you need to properly process and cook them:

1. It is better to buy unripe ones than overripe blue ones. Small ones, with thin skin and small seeds forming, are the best choice. These eggplants contain all the beneficial substances, and there are no bitter poisons.
2. You should not cook from rotten and soft vegetables; they contain many harmful and hazardous substances.
3. If any recipe specifies the use of raw eggplants, then choose only young ones, after scalding them with salted boiling water.
4. Large and overripe fruits should be soaked in salt water before cooking to remove bitterness from them.

It may seem that you will have to spend the whole day stuffing eggplants, but only an hour will pass in active work - the rest of the time is spent waiting, i.e. you can be distracted by other things.

Preparation of products and containers

Preparing an eggplant appetizer begins with preparing the vegetables and containers.

You can soak vegetables to remove bitterness from them in different ways:

• Prick whole eggplants with a fork, soak in a salted solution (dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in a liter of water) for 24 hours;
• washed vegetables are cut in half and salted generously, and after half an hour the juice is drained from the vegetables, the blue ones are squeezed out and washed under the tap;
• chopped eggplants are poured with highly salted water, soaked for about 30 minutes, then the juice is poured out, the vegetables are squeezed out and washed;
• The fruit halves are placed in a colander, scalded with salted boiling water, squeezed and washed.

To squeeze the liquid out of the blue ones, you need to put them under a press - place a heavy dish on them and let the excess water drain, while you get busy filling and preparing the container.

It is advisable to remove the core from eggplants, and to do this you have to break the integrity and cut the vegetable in half. However, it is important during the stuffing process to combine the halves and fasten them with thread so that the vegetables do not fall apart. You don’t have to cut the halves in half completely, try carefully removing the cores with seeds.

The ingredients for minced meat need to be washed, peeled and chopped: carrots on a coarse grater, garlic in a special crush, and greens finely chopped. All ingredients, including seasonings, nuts and other ingredients, according to the recipe, are placed in one large bowl and mixed.

Jars and lids need to be washed with soap or baking soda and properly prepared:

1. Fill a large saucepan over the steam - fill the container with water, heat it, place a wire rack on it, place washed jars with their necks down on top, leave the dishes over boiling water for 10-15 minutes. The lids are boiled in water.
2. In the oven - clean jars are placed in an oven heated to 100-120 degrees with their necks down (dry containers) or up (wet, so that the liquid evaporates). It will take 15 minutes to completely sterilize 1 liter jars, and 25 minutes for larger jars.
3. In the microwave - pour water up to 2 cm from the bottom into the jars and leave the container to sterilize for 4-5 minutes.

Sometimes jars filled with stuffed eggplants are sterilized by placing them in the oven or boiling them in a saucepan without closing the lids.

How to cook stuffed eggplants?

For preservation, it is advisable to choose firm young eggplants up to 10 cm in size, without seeds. The amount of seasonings and spices indicated in the recipes is approximate, everyone has their own preferences: some like spicy and firmer vegetables or, conversely, not spicy and soft vegetables at all.

Therefore, the amount of salt and additives can and should be adjusted to suit your taste.

Classic recipe for a 1-liter jar

For 1 liter jars, blue ones stuffed with vegetables and herbs are perfect.

What you will need:

• small or medium-sized eggplants - about 2 kg;
• half a kg of carrots and red or white onions;
• 1 bunch of parsley and dill with cut off hard stems;
• garlic – 1 medium head;
• vinegar 9%;
• salt.

How to make classic stuffed eggplants:

1. For the prepared blue ones, cut out indentations with seeds in the center to make room for the filling.
2. Boil eggplants until soft.
3. Cut the garlic into cloves.
4. Chop the onion and carrots into thin strips or grate them on a coarse grater, simmer for 15 minutes, squeeze or grate the garlic.
5. Salt the mixture, add chopped herbs.
6. Fill the blue ones with prepared minced meat and put the vegetables in jars.
7. Pour 1 tbsp into each container filled with eggplants. l. vinegar and sterilize in a container with boiling water for 45-50 minutes.

If the jars are sterilized in an oven or convection oven, then the time will be needed in half.Then you need to close the jars with lids and leave to cool.

Option without sterilization

Stuffing eggplants with vegetables and not bothering with sterilization is the dream of many housewives. The little blue ones turn out tasty, pickled, stored in the refrigerator and eaten with pleasure. They are prepared quickly, but fermentation will take 2-3 days.

What you will need:

• small or medium eggplants - about 4 kg; carrots – 1 kg;
• half a kg of sweet pepper;
• 1 large bunch of parsley with thick stems cut off;
• 1-2 garlic (about 20 cloves);
• parsnip – 200 g;
• water – 1 l;
• peppercorns – 4-5 pcs.;
• hot red pepper – 1 pc.;
• salt – 2 tbsp. l.

How to make stuffed eggplants without sterilization:

1. The seeds of the prepared blue ones are cut out in the center to make room for the minced meat.
2. Cook the eggplants until softened.
3. The head of garlic is peeled and chopped.
4. Carrots are also grated on a coarse grater and stewed.
5. To prepare the brine, dissolve salt in a liter of water, add peppercorns, and, after waiting for it to boil, remove from heat.
6. Sweet peppers are cut into cubes.
7. Finely chop the hot pepper pod. If it's not spicy enough, add more.
8. Chop half the parsley.
9. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add some salt.
10. The blue ones are filled with prepared minced meat and placed in a pan in layers (horizontally), and the vegetables are completely filled with brine.
11. They put a weight on top and ferment for a day or two in the room or 2 times longer in the cool of the pantry.

The finished eggplants are transferred to jars and stored underground.

With beans

The blue ones with beans are unusually tasty.

What you will need:

• small or medium-sized eggplants - about 1 kg;

• red tomatoes – 700-800 g;
• 1 sweet pepper, carrots and white beans – 200-300 g each;
• 1 head of garlic (12 cloves);
• salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
• granulated sugar – 1 tsp;
• vinegar 9% – 50 ml;
• sunflower oil – 150 ml.

How to make stuffed eggplants with beans:

1. In the evening, beans (1 cup) should be soaked in cold water (3 cups) to swell the legumes, and in the morning, boil them for 40 minutes without salt.
2. Cook the eggplants until soft.
3. Grind the carrots on a coarse grater.
4. Cut the pepper into small cubes.
5. Peel the garlic, grind the tomatoes with it in a blender or meat grinder.
6. Pour the tomato mixture into a saucepan, add salt, sugar, butter and boil for 3 minutes.
7. Add blueberries, carrots and peppers there, cook for about half an hour over moderate heat.
8. Then add the beans to the vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
9. Finally, add vinegar and boil for the last 5 minutes.

Place the finished product in jars and close the lids.

With carrots and bell pepper

What you will need:

• small or medium-sized eggplants - about 1 kg;
• 100 g each of carrots and red or white onions;
• 5 sprigs of parsley and dill;
• garlic – 1 medium head;
• vinegar 9% – 300 ml;
• 1 hot pepper;
• salt 4 tbsp. l.

How to make eggplants with carrots and bell peppers:

1. For the prepared blue ones, make holes in the middle for the minced meat. Boil the eggplants until tender.
2. Cut the garlic into cloves, peel each one and grind with salt.
3. Cut the carrots into thin slices or grate them on a coarse grater.
4. Finely chop the greens.
5. Cut sweet and hot peppers into strips.
6. Combine all ingredients and stir.
7. Fill the eggplants with prepared minced meat, wrap them with thread and place them vertically in jars.
8. Pour vinegar into each container filled with eggplants and sterilize for half an hour.

Twist the finished product and leave to cool, wrapping it in a woolen blanket for a day.

With tomatoes and sweet peppers

What you will need:

• small or medium blue – 15 pcs.;
• 400 g each of carrots, tomatoes and sweet peppers;
• 2 hot peppers;
• 200 g garlic;
• 3 medium bay leaves;
• 15 pcs. sweet pea;
• sunflower oil for frying;
• salt 3 tsp.

How to make eggplants with tomatoes and sweet peppers:

1. Make holes in the middle of the prepared eggplants for the minced meat.
2. The blue ones are boiled until tender.
3. Cut the garlic into cloves and peel each one.
4. Cut carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers into cubes and fry until soft.
5. Grind the hot pepper and garlic on a fine grater.
6. Combine all ingredients and stir.
7. Fill the eggplants with the prepared minced meat, wrap them with thread and place them vertically in jars.
8. To make the brine, boil water, add salt (3 teaspoons of salt per 1 liter of water), adding sweet peas and bay leaves to the boiling water.
9. Boil for 2-3 minutes.
10. Fill the jars with blueberries with brine without closing the lids, leave them warm for 4 days and only then close and sterilize for half an hour.

Without sterilization, the product can be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than a month.

With onions and garlic

What you will need:

• medium eggplants – about 5 kg;

• 1 kg carrots;
• 200 g onion;
• 0.5 l sunflower oil;
• 1 large bunch of parsley and parsley root 200-300 g;
• 1 medium head of garlic (20 cloves);
• vinegar 9%;
• the amount of salt is at your discretion.

How to make with tomatoes and sweet peppers:

1. Make holes in the center of the prepared blue ones to make room for the filling.
2. Boil the eggplants until tender.
3. Cut the garlic into cloves, peel and finely chop each one.
4. Finely chop the parsley.
5. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and simmer in a large amount of oil with parsley until soft.
6. Separately from the carrots, fry the onion, cut into half rings.
7. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, add salt and mix.
8. Fill the eggplants with minced vegetables and place them horizontally in a large saucepan in layers, sprinkling each layer with garlic and salt.

Pour the remaining heated oil over the eggplants, press down and store in a cool place, for example in the refrigerator.

Korean stuffed eggplant

For 1 liter jars, blue ones stuffed with various vegetables and herbs are perfect.

What you will need:

• small eggplants – about 2 kg;
• half a kg of carrots;
• 1 large bunch each of parsley, cilantro and celery;
• garlic 5 cloves;
• 100 ml sunflower oil;
• parsley roots – 2 pcs.;
• spices for “Korean-style carrots”;
• vinegar 9%;
• salt.

How to make eggplant in Korean:

1. Make room for the filling on the eggplants.
2. The blue ones are boiled until tender.
3. Grind the carrots on a special Korean grater and simmer until soft, adding spices.
4. Cut the garlic into cloves and peel each one.
5. Mix all ingredients, add salt to taste.
6. Fill the eggplants with minced meat and tie with thread. For brine, add 2 tbsp to 1 liter of water. l. salt and 2-3 tbsp. l. vinegar.
7. Place the blue ones in a pan, pour the cooled brine into them and, pressing them down with a weight, leave them to stand at home.
8. After that, we remove the load and put it in the refrigerator for another couple of days.

The product is ready.

Eggplants stuffed with vegetables for the winter, Georgian style

If you have utskho-suneli spices and walnuts, you can try cooking eggplants in Georgian style.

What you will need:

• medium eggplants - about 4 kg;
• sweet pepper 16 pcs.;
• 1 large bunch of parsley and dill with thick stems cut off;
• 1 head of garlic (20 cloves);
• vinegar 9% – 250 ml;
• 200 g peeled walnuts;
• hot pepper 4 small pods;
• sunflower oil – 300 ml;
• salt 3 tsp;
• granulated sugar 3 tbsp. l.

Georgian eggplant recipe:

1. For the prepared blue ones, make holes in the center for the minced meat.
2. Peel the garlic and grind with hot pepper in a blender.
3. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and also cut it through this device.
4. Fry the eggplants until crisp.
5. Mix the mixture of peppers and garlic, add nuts, oil, vinegar and wait until the mixture boils.
6. Add blue ingredients to the ingredients, add salt, spices and sugar, mix gently. Boil for 15 minutes.

Without waiting for it to cool, put everything in jars, close it and put it in a cool place.

In Egyptian

What you will need:

• medium-sized eggplants - approximately 2 kg;
• 1 sweet and hot pepper each;
• a bunch of parsley;
• 7 garlic cloves;
• vinegar 6% – 30 ml;
• cumin seasoning – 3 g;
• a third of a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• 25 g each of coriander and curry;
• olive oil – 250 ml;
• salt.

How to make blue ones in Egyptian style:

1. Coat the prepared vegetables with oil and bake in an oven heated to 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
2. Cool the softened eggplants.
3. Grind the garlic cloves with salt.
4. Chop the hot and sweet peppers into smaller pieces.
5. Chop the greens.
6. Combine the prepared ingredients (except for the blue ones) with seasonings, vinegar, lemon juice and 50 ml of oil in one container.
7. Stir carefully.
8. Fill the blue ones with the prepared minced meat, place the vegetables in containers and pour the remaining olive oil.

The product is stored in the refrigerator and will be ready after 5 days.

How to properly store workpieces?

All workpieces must be stored correctly:

1. Canned vegetables, fruits and berries are placed in a cool, dry and dark place where the temperature is no higher than +13-15 degrees.
2. Containers with vegetables should not be exposed to sudden temperature changes to prevent the preparations from becoming moldy or spoiled.
3. Quickly cooked vegetables are stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 2 months and eaten first.
4. Swollen and rusty lids on jars indicate that the room is over-humidified and requires a change in storage location.
5. At low temperatures (below 0 degrees), workpieces may deteriorate.

If you follow the rules, you will be able to keep home-cooked canned vegetables for more than 3 years. But every year the taste will be less pronounced, so it is better to prepare for a year, and next summer spend a few days preparing fresh canned vegetables.