Makdous Stuffed Baby Eggplants with Walnuts and Red Pepper

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-10-10 · Updated 2026-10-10

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are developed and reviewed.

Baby eggplants are salted and pressed, stuffed with walnuts, roasted red pepper, garlic and Aleppo pepper, then cured in olive oil. This is a Syrian pantry staple served at breakfast. This Syrian-inspired vegetarian recipe (vegan), ready in about 57 minutes, pairs baby eggplants (3-4 inches long), coarse salt, walnuts, finely chopped for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 240 calories and feeds 10, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 45 min Cook: 12 min Serves 10 Syrian cuisine 240 cal/serving

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Ingredients

2 lb baby eggplants (3-4 inches long)
1/4 cup coarse salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, roasted and finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
1 tbsp red pepper paste (muhammara paste or Turkish biber salçası)
1 tsp salt
3 cups, for curing extra-virgin olive oil

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Instructions

Step 1: Trim the eggplant stems, leaving the caps on. Simmer the eggplants in salted water 10-12 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain and let cool.
Step 2: Make a lengthwise slit in each eggplant without cutting through the ends. Rub a pinch of coarse salt inside each one.
Step 3: Stand the eggplants slit-side down in a colander, put a heavy weight on top, and let them drain 12-24 hours in the fridge.
Step 4: Mix the walnuts, roasted peppers, garlic, Aleppo pepper, pepper paste and salt. Squeeze out any excess moisture.
Step 5: Pack the filling generously into each eggplant.
Step 6: Put the eggplants in sterilized jars, press out the air, and cover completely with olive oil. Cap the jars loosely and leave them on a tray at cool room temperature 2 days, topping up the oil as needed.
Step 7: Seal and refrigerate. They are ready after 5-7 days and keep up to 1 month. Serve with warm bread.