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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian/Vegan Meals

    Vegan Eggplant Casserole Recipe with Beans

    May 14, 2018 By Monika Last Updated May 1, 2022 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Eggplant in tomato sauce in white oval dish with chopped green chillies.

    This nutritious vegan eggplant casserole contains beans for protein and bulk, is super easy to make and bursting with flavour! Gluten free and low in fat.

    Top down view of eggplant in tomato sauce in purple bowl with spoon wrapped in blue-and-white cloth with green chillies and cilantro leaves on dark brown surface.

    I am a flexitarian so I do occasionally eat meat and fish but my diet is mostly vegetarian.  This week will be strictly vegetarian for me and I hope to share at least a couple of more new vegetarian dishes with you later on this week.

    Preparing the eggplant

    So let me tell you more about my healthy eggplant and beans casserole.

    First of all, the eggplant is baked (whole) prior to being added to the sauce.  Baking eggplant is super easy.  Simply pop in the oven for 35 minutes and bake!  If I was to make an eggplant dip using baked eggplant I might keep it in the oven a bit longer to ensure it's sufficiently soft.  But for this recipe 35 minutes is enough as the eggplant will cook further in the casserole.

    I decided to use this method as it simply shortens the time needed to cook the sauce. (Once all the ingredients have been added the sauce only needs to simmer for 10 minutes!).  This method also minimises the amount of oil used in this aubergine casserole (the sauce contains only 2 tablespoons of oil).  Most eggplant recipes tend to use quite a bit of oil!

    So this baked eggplant recipe is quick and healthy!

    Eggplant tomato casserole in white oval dish with spoon and blue-and-white cloth.

    Equipment you'll need

    • Cutting board and knife
    • Small oven tray
    • Large pot and spoon
    • Stick blender
    • Medium size casserole dish

    How to make tomato eggplant casserole with beans: step-by-step

    1.About 25 minutes into baking the eggplant start preparing the sauce.  Briefly fry the bay leaf, garlic, onion, chilli and celery, then add the wine and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.

    Chopped onion, chilli and bay leaf in large pot with spoon.

    2. Once the eggplant comes out of the oven chop it roughly. Keep the oven on.

    Chopped eggplant on top of cutting board.

    3. Add the tomato, tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes, chopped eggplant and salt, cover, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

    Chopped tomatoes and eggplant in large pot with spoon.

    4. Remove the bay leaf and blitz the mixture partly to break up the larger chunks of vegetables.

    Thick tomato sauce with eggplant chunks and end of stick blender in large pot.

    5. Stir in the beans along with the water from the can, check if seasoning needs adjusting and transfer the mixture into your casserole dish.  Drizzle with a little oil and bake at 200 C for 15 minutes.

    Eggplant and beans in thick tomato sauce inside white oval casserole dish.

    Nothing gets wasted in this eggplant bake

    This easy eggplant casserole recipe uses the entire eggplant so even though the eggplant is baked whole there is no need to discard the skin.  It adds texture and loads of goodness to the dish!

    I also used both the beans as well as the brine, which consists mainly of water and protein so it's all good stuff!  This makes the sauce richer and tastier.

    Spices and herbs

    I considered using herbs and spices but in the end decided to keep this recipe as simple as possible.  I think it's delicious just the way it is!  But if you would like to serve it with fresh herbs cilantro, parsley, tarragon or Thai basil would be good choices.

    The cilantro and parsley can be used as garnish but the tarragon and Thai basil work well in cooking so simply add it into the sauce.  You could also add a bit of smoked or sweet paprika or cayenne pepper into the sauce.

    Eggplant casserole with spoon in purple bowl wrapped in blue-and-white cloth with green chillies and cilantro leaves on dark brown surface.

    Top tips

    • Bake the eggplant, whole, for about 35 minutes until softened. It will finish cooking in the casserole.
    • Start making the sauce approx. 25 minutes into baking the eggplant.
    • The sauce has a chunky consistency, which you can achieve by blending it very briefly before putting your casserole in the oven. (Use a stick blender and puree only some of the vegetables).  If you puree the sauce until smooth you'll get more of a baked bean rather than casserole kind of dish.
    • Use any white bean variety.
    • Herbs and spices: I kept this recipe simple but you could add 2 tablespoons of tarragon or thai basil into the sauce or garnish the dish with cilantro. Add smoked or sweet paprika into the dish if you like.
    • Serve with rice, couscous or quinoa.
    • Freeze for up to 3 months.

    You might also like

    • Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant
    • Healthy Pasta Bake with Eggplant and Chickpeas
    • Vegetarian Sausage Mushroom Sweet Potato Pie

    Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.

    Keep in touch!

    How has your eggplant casserole turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!

    Recipe

    Eggplant in tomato sauce in white oval dish with spoon and blue-and-white cloth.

    Eggplant Casserole Recipe with Beans (Vegan)

    This healthy vegan eggplant casserole recipe contains beans for protein and bulk, is super easy to make and bursting with flavour!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main, Side Dish
    Cuisine: vegan
    Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 211kcal
    Author: Monika Dabrowski

    Ingredients

    • 1 large eggplant aubergine, whole
    • 1x14.11oz can (400 g) cannellini beans including the water
    • 1 onion finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 1 red/green chilli pepper small, finely chopped
    • ½ celery stalk finely chopped
    • 1 large tomato chopped
    • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
    • 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained, finely chopped
    • 4 tablespoons white wine
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
    • 1 bay leaf
    • Sea salt and pepper to taste I used 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Place the eggplant on a baking tray and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut off the end and chop the eggplant into chunks (do not remove the skin). Keep the oven on.
    • About 25 minutes into baking the eggplant start preparing the other ingredients.
    • In a saucepan heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the bay leaf, garlic, onion, chilli and celery, stir and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often.
    • Add the wine and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Add the chopped eggplant, tomato, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, stir, cover and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Remove the bay leaf and partly blitz the sauce so that it has a chunky (not completely pureed), consistency (I used a stick blender to do this). Combine with the beans (use the entire contents of the can, including the water), stir, season to taste and transfer into your baking dish. Drizzle with a little oil and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 C. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Bake the eggplant, whole, for about 35 minutes until softened. It will finish cooking in the casserole.
    • Start making the sauce approx. 25 minutes into baking the eggplant.
    • The sauce has a chunky consistency, which you can achieve by blending it very briefly before putting your casserole in the oven. (Use a stick blender and puree only some of the vegetables).  If you puree the sauce until smooth you'll get more of a baked bean rather than casserole kind of dish.
    • Use any white bean variety.
    • Herbs and spices: I kept this recipe simple but you could add 2 tablespoons of tarragon or thai basil into the sauce or garnish the dish with cilantro. Add smoked or sweet paprika into the dish if you like.
    • Serve with rice, couscous or quinoa.
    • Freeze for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 550mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg

    *Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

    **A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @Monika8021 or tag #EverydayHealthyRecipes!

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    Comments

      5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    1. Karen says

      August 14, 2020 at 12:05 am

      Made this tonight. Added vegan mozzarella and Parmesan the last 5 minutes. Yum!

      Reply
      • Monika says

        August 16, 2020 at 8:47 am

        Serving this dish with cheese is a great idea, I imagine it was delicious. Thanks for your feedback:)

        Reply
    2. Joanna says

      January 23, 2020 at 5:46 am

      5 stars
      Delicious and easy. I put a layer of cooked polenta on the bottom of the casserole dish, added fresh basil to the stew, and topped it all with Panko seasoned with olive oil and salt. Will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Monika says

        January 23, 2020 at 8:35 am

        Thank you for letting me know:) I really like the idea of adding polenta to this recipe.

        Reply
      • PS says

        December 08, 2024 at 10:34 pm

        5 stars
        Looks delicious. Any suggestions without the white wine?

        Reply
        • Monika says

          December 09, 2024 at 8:21 pm

          You can omit it if you like. Serve with vegan cheese/nutritional yeast, for more depth of flavour.

          Reply
    3. Carol Beesley says

      July 07, 2018 at 11:24 am

      5 stars
      I made it!!!!
      Super excited, it looks good... though yours looks better ☺️
      I am taking it to a bbq as a side dish with crusty olive bread.

      Reply
      • Monika says

        July 07, 2018 at 11:59 am

        Thanks Carol! So excited you've made my recipe, hope everyone likes it, thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
    4. Kat (The Baking Explorer) says

      May 22, 2018 at 11:31 pm

      This looks so yummy, I love aubergine

      Reply
      • Monika says

        May 23, 2018 at 9:35 am

        Thanks Kat!

        Reply
    5. Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says

      May 20, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Great recipe - love how you baked the auberigne first. I do that sometimes too, if it's going in a curry or stew. Or else I grill it, which is also much easier than frying and cuts down on the oil - perfect for things like moussaka, where you want slices. Eb x

      Reply
      • Monika says

        May 21, 2018 at 7:14 am

        Thanks! I find I can't get enough of this fabulous vegetable lately and add to lots of dishes (which the kids aren't crazy about:)

        Reply
    6. Recipes Made Easy says

      May 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

      How funny I have just got back from the shops with the ingredients to make an aubergine casserole which is very similar. I shall have to try yours next time. Thank you for linking this lovely recipe to this weeks #CookBlogShare

      Reply
      • Monika says

        May 19, 2018 at 8:34 am

        Thanks Jacqui! Great minds ....:)

        Reply
    7. Balvinder says

      May 16, 2018 at 2:55 am

      I love eggplants, though I don't think I've ever tasted it with beans. I definitely going to give it a try.

      Reply
      • Monika says

        May 16, 2018 at 7:54 am

        Great, hope you like it:)

        Reply
    8. dtills says

      May 14, 2018 at 9:49 pm

      I didn't know it was national vegetarian week, thanks for telling me! We are having salmon tonight ?oops!

      Reply
      • Monika says

        May 15, 2018 at 7:27 am

        It's only here in the UK so salmon is allowed where you are:)

        Reply
        • dtills says

          May 15, 2018 at 3:22 pm

          Yeah! Thanks for relieving my guilt ?

          Reply

    Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking.

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