Greek eggplant and rice! This easy one-pot meal is a perfect solution for a weeknight (or any night). Fresh eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, and mizithra cheese come together for a delicious and comforting baked casserole.
Updated on January 29th, 2021: New written content, photography, and recipe instructions. Yay! See more details below the recipe, including some original photos!
Originally published on .
Aren't one-pot meals great? I love that they're easy to make – and easy to eat! Baked in the oven for just under an hour and suddenly you have yourself a warm and scrumptious eggplant rice bowl. And then there's the cleanup that's easy too! I first shared the recipe for this dish a little over five years ago. It's one of the most popular recipes on the blog to date, and for good reason! If you haven't made it yet and you're a fan of both eggplant and rice, don't sleep on this one, folks!
🛒 Ingredients list
For your shopping convenience:
- eggplant (~1 pound)
- large sweet onion
- fresh tomatoes on the vine
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
- dried Greek oregano
- bay leaf
- long grain white rice
- vegetable or chicken stock
- mizithra cheese (or substitute Parmesan, which is used in the photos!)
- butter (optional, but recommended!)
- parsley (optional)
- salt + pepper
🥘 Oven-safe cookware
Eggplant and rice is started on the stove and finished in the oven. In order to stick to the "one pot" rule, you'll want to use an oven-safe pan so that you can go straight from the stove to oven with ease. In the past, I've used my 12" cast iron skillet but admittedly, I prefer using my 4-quart stainless steel sauté pan these days because I can soak it in some hot soapy water after cooking, if necessary. Use whatever oven-safe pan you have handy! If you don't own one, it's perfectly fine to transfer the food to a baking dish and call it a two-pot meal. 😉
🧀 What is mizithra?
Also spelled as myzithra, this cheese is a Greek household staple. It's a salt-dried grating cheese commonly made with sheep's milk, though sometimes there are varieties with goat's, cow's, or combined milks too! Ask your local cheesemonger if they have it available. It's worth having! If wrapped properly with wax paper in a tightly sealed bag, it will keep stored in the fridge for months. You can also grate it in advance and keep it stored in the freezer for an even longer shelf life.
Can't actually find the cheese where you're at? Substitute another salty cheese! A close substitute for mizithra is ricotta salata if that's an option available to you – they share a similar taste and texture. Alternatively, go with kefalotiri, Parmesan, romano, or even mozzarella! You can't go wrong with cheesy goodness.
💭 Tips
Follow these simple tips to make a bomb eggplant and rice.
Avoid old or softened eggplant
You know the saying "fresh is best?" Yes, yes that should be an obvious thing when it comes to food. The difference here is you can keep an onion in your pantry for a week and it'll be completely fine. Keep an eggplant in your fridge for a week? You risk it becoming a bit overripe, soft, and bitter. Fresh and firm is key for the best taste!
Play with ingredients
One of the best things about eggplant and rice is how versatile it is! Add different veggies, sub out different cheeses, or even add a meaty (or vegetarian-friendly) protein of your choice. Check out the comments below and see various ways people have enjoyed this recipe!
Make it vegetarian or vegan
- Vegetarian? Use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
- Vegan? Same as above and omit the cheese and butter.
Interested in other eggplant recipes?
📖 Recipe
One Pot Greek Eggplant and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, about 1 pound
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)
- 3 vine tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup grated mizithra cheese*
- 2 tablespoons butter, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the eggplant crosswise in ½ inch slices, then cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Preheat oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add eggplant and stir to coat with the oil. The eggplant may soak up all of the oil; this is normal. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and continue to saute for five minutes, until the eggplant has softened.
- Add onions and saute for another five minutes. The eggplant and onion will both melt down slightly.
- Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Season with the remaining salt, black pepper, and oregano.
- Add rice and bay leaf and stir to combine.
- Stir in the stock, ensuring all of the rice is submerged (any vegetables sticking out is fine). Top with grated cheese and dot with butter.
- Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for thirty minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
- Feel free to substitute a salty cheese of your choice if you can't find mizithra. Try romano, parmesan, ricotta salata, kefalotiri, or mozzarella!
- Omitting the cheese and butter and using vegetable stock makes this dish vegan friendly.
- This will serve 4 people as an entree and 6 people as a side.
Nutrition
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Congrats on your anniversary! That's such an amazing accomplishment - go you! And what a great way to celebrate with this eggplant and rice. It looks ah-mazing!
Thanks, Sarah!
Congratulations on 4 smoke-free years! That's awesome! And this dish look incredible! LOVE one pot meals!
Thanks so much, Valentina! It's a great feeling to breathe like a normal human being. 🙂
I always find myself drawn to all recipes that has eggplants in them....seriously..they are my favorite vegetable ever...of course I wish I can let my son agree with that..he hates them...the poor thing he doesn't know what he is missing out one..hehehe...I really love this dish...you bet I will be trying it...great post and I have yummed and pinned it 🙂
Thanks, Manal! Jason (the boyfriend) doesn't love eggplant either, though he was really happy with this dish, so maybe there is hope for your son! =P Thanks for the visit; let me know how the dish turns out when you make it!
I'm seriously going to make this. I love eggplant and I'm always looking for new ideas to cook it.
Yay! I love eggplant too. Let me know how it turns out; I hope you love it! Thanks for swinging by, Christine!
Is there anything better than greek food. I think not! Love this post and very nice to meet you! ?
It's definitely at the top of my list! Being Greek may or may not have something to do with it, but I just love Mediterranean cuisine. Nice to meet you, Andreea! Your blog is gorgeous!
I quitted two years ago, best decision ever! Will celebrate with your eggplant and rice, sounds delicious!
Congrats on your two years, Claudia! It's an amazing feeling. Please let me know how you like the dish if you make it!
I love eggplant and am always on the lookout for new recipes using eggplant. Yours looks so delicious and very simple to make too. And congratulations on quitting smoking and never going back! Here's to a healthy life! 🙂
Thanks so much, Wajeeha! Cheers! 😀
Good for you! Congrats on the 4-yr mark girl! 🙂 And this recipe is calling my name, yes please!
Thanks, Prash! Let me know how you like it. <3
Hi Marissa! Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and I am always happy to find a new recipe using it! I've always believed that if you really want something you can succeed.
Hi Dorothy! It's a tasty vegetable for sure and I couldn't agree more with the succeeding statement! <3
Of course I love one pot meals! And I always need more things to do with eggplant - we get a lot of eggplant through our CSA... This sounds very good.
and four years is terrific.
Thanks, Anne! CSAs are where it's at! Let me know how you like the dish.
I love one-pot meals! And while I am not an eggplant person, I bet this would be fabulous with zucchini ... though I don't want to wait for our spring CSA shares to make this!
Thanks, Kimberly! I haven't tried this dish with zucchini just yet, but it's a great replacement for eggplant and now I want to eat it that way too!
Congrats on 4 years! And yay for never looking back! This eggplant looks so savory and delicious, and I'm all about the one-pot cleanup!
Thanks Paige! It's a great feeling. And yes, one-pot cleanup is pretty much the best. 😀
This looks like my kind of meal. So delicious and flavorful! Definitely on my list with recipes to try. Yum!
Thanks, Neli!
This sounds like a perfect use for the eggplant that's been hanging out in my fridge. I wondered though... have you ever tried it with brown rice? I would think adding a little extra liquid should do the trick to compensate for the brown rice, but figured I would ask first!
I haven't, unfortunately! The only cooking I've done with brown rice was to the box's directions and usually adding it to a stir-fry after it's cooked. I would think a little extra liquid will help and I'd also expect it to take longer to cook. If you end up trying it with the brown rice, I'd love to know how it came out!
With brown rice, half cook the brown rice first - 20 minutes - then add for the 30 minutes in the oven.
I was wondering - can it be frozen?
Hi, just wondering if I should have put the lid on when I popped this in the oven just now...? Smells delish!
Hi Jen! Nope, you don't need the lid. I'll update the recipe to specify uncovered; thanks for pointing that out! I hope you enjoy the dish. <3
This was absolutely delicious! even my eggplant opposed DH was raving over it!
I didn't have fresh tomatoes so I chopped some sun dried tomatoes and used Rosemary from my garden cause I was out of oregano. Thanks for the awesomeness!
Thanks, Allison! I'm so glad you liked it. Rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes are very tasty replacements. 😀
I never comment on anything... BUT this was fantastic.
Had to substitute parmesan for the mizithra and still it was delicious.
I will be making this many times to come ...next time I'll find mizithra cheese.
Thank you Marissa for a wonderful scrumptious recipe.
Hi Kristi! Thanks for commenting. <3
I'm so glad you loved the dish. Parmesan is a tasty substitution; you just can't go wrong with it. I'd be curious to know what you think of the mizithra if you do end up finding it!
This was super tasty and the easiest to make! Great for a weeknight. I added some cilantro (looks like you added parsley?) because that's all I had, and served it with eggs. Maybe not traditional Greek, but delicious nonetheless. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Laura! Thanks for commenting! I'm so glad you enjoyed the meal. 😀
I didn't even realize I forgot to mention the parsley, so thanks for pointing that out; I just fixed it! I add it for garnish, but I'm really intrigued by the use of cilantro in this. I loooooove cilantro. And as far as I'm concerned, rice dishes + eggs = the best! Traditional Greek or not, that's a tasty combo you have going on and I approve.
We loved loved loved this.
I made it last night and it was awesome.
I have hip problems so sat in front of the tv and got everything ready.
From that point it got together in no time at all.
Leftover was great today too.
Thanks for a wonderful dish
Hi MaryAnne! Thanks for the comment; I'm so glad you loved the dish. Prepping food while TV watching is pretty much the best. 🙂
I made this dish today and I LOOOOVE it!!! I added mushrooms when I put the onions in and I skipped the cheese. Otherwise, I followed everything as is and it's delicious! There are a few more recipes on your blog that I'm looking forward to trying! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Nashwa! So glad you enjoyed the dish. I love the addition of mushrooms!
I made this last night without the cheese and butter, and it was so, so good that I'm making it again tonight without the cheese, but with butter and olives.
Yay! Thanks for the comment, Daisy. I'd love to know how it came out with the olives added. 😀
It was delicious!
I'm also making it again without the cheese tonight, but I'm adding the olives and chorizo this time.
Yesssssssss. What time should I be over for dinner? 😉
It's a funny thing, but I am not an eggplant lover.. however, this dish looked so appealing that I just had to make it using yellow squash (that's what was in my fridge). My family & I enjoyed it so much that we talked about it all week! We are vegan, so I made a few little substitutions, using vegan buttery spread and vegan cheese. I also topped it with cilantro and scallions. It was absolutely divine. This is on tonight's menu again, using zucchini. Everyone is excited. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Hi Karen,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I love hearing about different ways to make a dish enjoyable. I especially like the addition of cilantro and scallions!
My boyfriend made this a few weeks ago and we couldn't believe how easy and delicious it was! Making it again tonight. I think I'll put olives in it this time as per some other readers' suggestions. And maybe do some chicken to pair with it. Thanks for the great idea.
So glad you enjoyed this, Morgana! Pairing with chicken sounds like an A+ choice. Thanks for commenting! <3
Just made this, and it was great! I replaced 1/4 of white wine with the stock and used feta instead. Will be making this again.
Loving the creativity there with swapping ingredients! You can't go wrong with white wine or feta. <3 So glad you enjoyed the dish!
Hi Marissa, just came across your blog and found this recipe. I read everyone's comments and I will be making it this weekend. I think I will try it with some sundried tomatoes and white wine with the chicken stock and since I have feta cheese in the freezer will add this too along with some mild Italian sausage. Thank you again for the wonderful recipes; I will keep you posted.
Hi Susan! This version sounds super delicious. I hope you had a chance to try it; let me know how it turned out if so!
Love the recipe..But where can you find that cheese??? I see that other has used Feta & Parm cheese..So i guess you can use any kind of cheese
Hi Carolyn!
Mizithra can be tricky to find depending on the area you live in. If you have any specialty stores nearby, they may have it or know about it! Romano or Parmesan are good substitutes for a similar taste (the Romano, especially).
I have made this many times, usually with brown rice. I just add a little extra liquid and bake longer. I also add a can of chickpeas. I leave out the butter and cheese, and even though I LOVE dairy and am always adding it even when it's not called for, I did not mind the vegan variation at all! I also change up what herbs I use each time.
Hi Marissa-TY for sharing this recipe, made 10/2018, my first eggplant recipe. I used almost 2 lbs eggplant, cause I wanted plenty of leftovers. Had no fresh tomatoes, so I added 1 can diced tomatoes w/spices, and used parm cheese. Will add Greek olives next time. Easy prep, wonderful flavor, simply delish. I especially liked that the eggplant did not cook down to mush, nice big bite-sized tender yet hearty morsels. I can see the leftovers on a plate with a fried egg or two on top for breakfast tomorrow. There's zero Greek in me, but will happily make again. Thx again!
A fried egg on top sounds AMAZING. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Cheers!
My daughter brought home an eggplant from her school garden and requested a dish with eggplant and rice for dinner. So I googled it and found your recipe. It was so easy to make and perfectly delicious. I will be checking out your other recipes. Cheers!
This looks amazing! I do not have a cast iron skillet, would an oven-safe stainless steel skillet work? Also, could I use regular oregano if I can't find Greek oregano?
Hi Adriana! A stainless steel skillet is totally fine so long as it's ovenproof. Regular oregano can also be subbed. Let me know how it turns out!
I’m prejudging - I haven’t actually eaten it yet. But the house smells heavenly! And anything in one pit gets an extra star. No idea what mizithra is, but I saw it’s similar to ricotta, so I used that! Could be totally off base with that, but it still should be good. And, as my adult son asked for easy meals accenting veggies, I just sent this recipe to him!
This is such an awesome dish!! I've made it many times now, everyone I’ve made it for loves it! I’ve had to use Parmesan instead of mizithra and Italian oregano instead of Greek oregano; I’ve made it with fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes and even cherry tomatoes: great every time. Thanks Marissa!
This was an amazing find! I'm so happy I came upon it and tried it. Delicious!
Boiled on stove, didn't bake. Added 1# ground beef. This recipe is excellent!
I’m an enthusiastic cook who׳s lost her cooking mojo. I still want to eat well but can’t be fussed to cook!
Thanks for a terrific recipe, simple, one pan and a great base for developing.iI served it with yogurt purslane salad. Next time may try it with Greek olives and tuna, kind of like a one pot compensate and rice. We had two big servings and enough for two lunches for tomorrow. Thanks again!
I've adopted your recipe as my "specialty" lol 🙂 Thank you I'm obsessed!
This dish is in my oven right now, and looks and smells delicious...I just checked at the 30 minute mark, and even though all liquid has been absorbed, the rice still is crunchy - I checked and though I didn't taste, it still looks mostly uncooked. I will leave in for at least 20 minutes more and hope for the best...
Love it, Diana! Red pepper flakes is a great and very delicious addition. 🙂
What a delicious substitution! So glad you enjoyed the dish, Maria!
Easy and delicious! I thought a medium sized eggplant was going to be too much but it cooked down just like you said. I cut my eggplant in cubes, salted, "bled" and then rinsed and dried before using. I used vegetable broth (paste) and added a little homemade salsa made from dried Arbol chilies and oregano to add a little kick. Will definitely make this again. Loved using the 12 inch cast iron skillet and throwing it in the oven. It reminds me of a ratatouille but better! I made chickpea burgers with Indian spices to go with this.
OMG! this is so delicious, and i love the way it's making my house smell like a home! Thank you so much for such a wonderful way to use eggplant, and make it delicious, not only for the taste buds, but for the soul. Just what i needed today. Thank you Marissa!!
Three times making this and it is delicious and a crowd pleaser every time. The recipe is easy to follow. Sometimes I add a “Greek” Dry seasoning blend in addition to the oregano. That has a bit of mint and oregano.
Loved it! Will make again and again.
Loved it
I made this and it is good but, unfortunately, any rice that was on top came out as baked raw rice. Very crunchy, but good roughage. I confess to adding browned ground beef because I had no ground lamb.
Many thanks for sharing this recipe. Your pictures look delicious. I wanted to eat your rice bowl right away. I will try it very soon indeed.
This was SO delicious! Between my parents and I, we were devouring it. My dad always wants meat in the meal, but this satisfied his palette just fine! I made trying it a pre-req for my kids and 2/3 absolutely loved it (they have never had eggplant before). I will definitely be making this again! Thanks!!!
Easy and delish!
Oops please add to my review: Super Yummy…. And, I forgot to mention that I used some delicious vegan cheeses! Yes, they do exist, really! Miyoko’s Vegan Creamery “mozzarella”, Daiya vegan “mozzarella” and Violife shredded “parmigiana”! The kitchen smelled amazing!!
Oh I love the addition of vegan cheese here! The combo you had going sounds super delicious – thanks for sharing, Beverly!
Do you peel the eggplant?
Hi Esther! Apologies for the late reply; I'm on maternity leave and a bit slow to respond! Peeling is totally optional for this recipe. Hope you enjoyed it if you made it!
Can you use minute rice? When recipes call for rice I always get nervous if the rice is supposed to be cooked first?
Hi Tim! This should only be made with uncooked rice.