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You are here: Home / Dinner / Vegetarian / Spicy Eggplant and Green Beans | Whole 30, Vegan

Spicy Eggplant and Green Beans | Whole 30, Vegan

March 12, 2019 by Hayley 11 Comments

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Eggplant, green beans, red pepper, in a white bowl with chop sticks

Eggplant goes from boring to flavorful with this spicy eggplant and green beans recipe. With just a few simple ingredients eggplant is transformed into a hearty vegetarian meal. The level of spicy is easily customized to your preference making this a great dinner option for the whole family! 

Eggplant, green beans, and red peppers in a white bowl with chopsticks. Garnished with sesame seeds and a bunch of cilantro on a grey napkin.

I’ve had a difficult relationship with eggplant in the past. I would love eating it at restaurants but could never get it to taste quite right at home. But I was determined to figure out how to cook it without ending up with the bitter flavor. I’ve found the best place to buy eggplant in my experience is at the farmer’s market. The usually carry a variety of different types and have given me some great advice on how to prepare vegetables I’m not familiar with in the past. 

How to prepare eggplant:

The secret to making tasty and firm eggplant is sweating it before hand. It takes a little extra time to prepare it, but I promise that it is worth the extra time to give you a flavorful meal with great texture. This principle can be applied to making eggplant for any recipe, not just this one. Sweating an eggplant is very simple and only requires salt, a colander, and a little patience. 

Using a sharp knife remove the stem of the eggplant and the bottom. This should give you a flat surface on both ends. From here you can slice the eggplant into 3 inch strips. It is more important for the size to be consistent than exact. Place the eggplant into a colander and sprinkle evenly with salt, about 1/2 tablespoon. Don’t worry about this making the recipe too salty, the salt will be rinsed off before the eggplant is cooked. After 20 minutes the eggplant should have sweated out some of its liquid. This will help with remove the bitter taste. Rinse the salt off with cool water and use paper towels or a clean tea towel to pat the eggplant dry.

 

Eggplant, green beans, and red peppers in a cast iron skillet.

How to prepare green beans:

While your eggplant is being sweat you can use that time to blanch the green beans. While this step isn’t entirely necessarily I find that it’s easier cook green beans in a skillet if they have been parboiled before hand. Parboiling is simply the process of quickly cooking a vegetable in boiling water to give it a head start on the cooking process. It helps give vegetables that aren’t quite as quick cooking a chance to catch up. 

After removing the stems from the green beans and cutting them in half to make them bite sized, drop them into boiling water. After about 5 minutes or when they are bright green remove them from the boiling water and proceed with the rest of the recipe, using the green beans as directed. 

Tips for using Thai chili peppers:

If you choose to use the dried Thai chili peppers this recipe calls for make sure to take some extra precautions to not burn your eyes and nose. As with all spicy peppers, wear gloves when cutting them and be sure to not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Also, be sure to only cook in a well ventilated area. When the peppers mix with the sesame oil some of the spiciness becomes airborne and can irritate your throat. If all of this sounds too complicated too you or you aren’t able to find any Thai chili peppers, red pepper flakes will work too.

Go ahead and give it a try. Be sure to let me know how it goes in the comments or by sharing a photo on instagram. Be sure to tag the @thesimplesupper with whatever you make!

Print

Spicy Eggplant and Green Bean Skillet

Eggplant goes from boring to flavorful with this spicy eggplant and green bean recipe with just a few simple ingredients. A healthy vegetarian meal!

Course Dinner
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Eggplant, Green beans, Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2 People
Calories 205 kcal
Author Hayley

Ingredients

  • 1 Medium Chinese Eggplant Sliced into 3" strips
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1/2 lbs Fresh Green Beans Trimmed
  • 1/2 Medium White Onion Diced
  • 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Diced
  • 1 Thai Chili Pepper Minced (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 Tsp Dried Ginger
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Tsp Fish Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro Garnish (optional)
  • 1 Tsp Sesame Seed Garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the eggplants by removing both ends and slicing it into 3" strips. Sweat the eggplant by placing it in a colander and evenly covering it with the 1 tbsp of salt. Set aside to let sit for approximately 20 minutes.

  2. In a medium sized pot fill with water halfway and set over high heat to bring to a boil.

  3. While water is reaching a boil trim green beans and diced the onion and peppers. If 20 minutes have passed rinse the salted eggplant to remove the salt and pat dry. Set aside.

  4. Once the water has reached a roiling boil add the green beans. Boil them for 5 minutes or until the have reached a bright green color.

  5. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the sesame oil, onion, and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions begin to soften or become translucent. While they are cooking sprinkle with ginger and salt stirring to coat.

  6. Add eggplant and more sesame oil if needed. Cook for another 5 minutes or until eggplant begins to brown.

  7. Add green beans, tamari or soy sauce, and fish sauce to skillet and stir to coat everything. Cook for an additional five minutes or until all ingredients are tender and cooked through.

  8. Serve immediately and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds if desired. Add cauliflower rice or basmati rice to make a complete meal. 

Recipe Notes

Red pepper flakes can be substituted for Thai chili peppers or left out all together is no spiciness is desired.

You may also like:

If you like this spicy eggplant and green beans recipe you, check out some of my other vegan recipes!

  • Roasted Carrots with Dill Pesto | Whole30, Vegan
  • Grilled Napa Cabbage with 3 Ingredient Dressing | Whole30, Vegan
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Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Diet Type, Dinner, Gluten-Free, recipe, Sugar-Free, Vegetarian, Whole30

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelly Anthony

    March 12, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    This veggie packed meal looks so tasty. I like the heat you get from the thai chili pepper.

    Reply
    • Hayley

      March 12, 2019 at 2:25 pm

      Yes! It adds a great kick!

      Reply
  2. Gloria

    March 12, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    5 stars
    What a great way to enjoy eggplant. The perfect side dish. Great for holiday meals to outdoor bbq’s in the backyard.

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth

    March 12, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    5 stars
    Mmm, sounds lovely! I do love aubergines, but I only ever eat them when we get them in our veg box. I’ll have to try this when they’re in season!

    Reply
  4. Julie Wallace

    March 12, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    This sounds delicious! I totally agree, farmer’s markets are the best places for eggplant shopping. And YES to wearing gloves while handling Thai chiles, OMG! I’ve made that mistake before, unfortunately…

    Reply
    • Hayley

      March 12, 2019 at 3:35 pm

      Glad to know I’m not the only one Julie lol! Definitely a lesson learned!

      Reply
  5. Hannah F Healy

    March 12, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! This looks great! I love the added sesame seeds!

    Reply
  6. Libby LaGarce

    March 20, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    I’m so glad to have a recipe for eggplant other than eggplant parmigiana!! This looks wonderful I can’t wait to make it

    Reply
  7. Lauren

    March 25, 2019 at 3:36 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! Veggies on veggies for a delish and healthy meal! I love it!

    Reply
  8. Renee

    November 4, 2019 at 11:01 am

    4 stars
    This looks like a super simple and delicious recipe. Is there a substitution for the fish sauce to make it vegan? I have some vegan “oyster sauce ” that I may try unless there are other suggestions.

    Reply
    • Hayley

      January 6, 2020 at 9:52 am

      Hi Renee! I think that vegan oyster sauce should work just fine. Please let me know if you tried it and how it worked out!

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hello! I'm Hayley the author, recipe developer, and taste tester for this blog. I love creating simple, healthy recipes that everyday people can enjoy. I share recipes and the tips and tricks I have learned on my journey. I'm excited to share my meals with you! Read More…

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