Baked Eggplant Fajitas are a great vegetarian meal packed with peppers, onions, black beans, tomatoes, and plenty of spice. If you love fajitas as much as we do, you may want to try these Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas or Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas.
I love the unexpected. I also love creating the unexpected, especially when it comes to food. I give myself an extra pat on the back when the meal turns out to be quick, healthy, delicious, and abundant, because...leftovers.
This recipe for Baked Eggplant Fajitas checked all those boxes. Whenever I am looking for a quick-and-easy meal, I think of fajitas. I know you wouldn't typically think of adding eggplant to fajitas. But, you have certainly heard of veggie fajitas, so why not add in a "meatier" veggie to round out the flavor of this popular Mexican dish? That's the great thing about fajitas — you can really customize them to your own tastes and veggie and/or protein preferences.
However, sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to stand over the stove for 15–20 minutes cooking them. I know...it might sound super lazy, but it's true. So on those nights, I like to make up a batch of these baked fajitas. Overall they take a bit longer to cook, but the active time prepping and standing at the stove is much less. If you want to make the process go even faster, you can take an extreme shortcut and buy all your veggies from the salad bar. Pre-sliced veggies for the win!
Side Dishes to Serve with Baked Eggplant Fajitas
I think fajitas can be a meal all to itself — you have your veggies, carbs (if you are using tortillas), and a possible protein if you have some leftover chicken or tofu that you want to add. However, you might want or need a bigger meal. In that case, I recommend the following side dishes to complement your fajitas.
- This Cilantro Lime Rice really ups the Mexican theme.
- Try a south-of-the-border salad like this Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad.
- Make a Mexican Quinoa, Black Bean, and Corn Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing to round your meal.
- A simple side salad with ingredients you have on hand. Add a light vinaigrette dressing.
- In a pinch, a steamable bag of frozen corn works great as a side — you can even toss the corn on top of your fajitas for extra veggies.
- If you are eating low-carb, this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice recipe will fill you up.
- A batch of black or red beans also makes a great side dish for these fajitas.
How Can I Use Leftover Baked Eggplant Fajitas?
Leftovers! The nectar of the gods. (If that's not a saying, it should be.) I love, love, love leftovers because that means I don't have to cook the following evening or that I have lunch ready to go (or sometimes both). Plus leftovers really help with meal planning. If I bake up a big batch of these fajitas, I like to get creative with the leftovers.
- Add them to leaves of romaine lettuce for low-carb, lettuce wrap fajitas.
- Put the veggies (warm or cold) right on top of a salad filled with your favorite toppings — who cares if they "go" together or not? Chopped kale, beets, and fajita toppings? Sure, why not? If you enjoy it, there are really no rules.
- Use the toppings to create a Mexican lasagne — using corn tortillas as the "noodle" layers.
- Add the warmed fajita veggies to a serving of instant brown rice with a couple of tablespoons of salsa. Mix together and enjoy!
Do You Have to Peel an Eggplant?
For this dish, you can go either way with peeling your eggplant. I like to peel it, it just makes it less bitter and I think it cooks up better. But it's up to you. If you have a bigger or older eggplant, the skin will be tougher, and I recommend peeling it off before cooking. However, if you have smaller eggplant or a younger variety, the skin should be softer and will cook up more easily.
What Makes Baked Eggplant Fajitas Healthy?
Veggies, spices, beans...that's about as healthy as fajitas get. Add low-carb, corn, or other healthier tortilla alternatives to make this meal a real winner.
- Eggplant is low-fat, low-carb, and low-calorie. It's also full of calcium which is great for your bones and antioxidants that can help prevent cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.
- Tomatoes are good for you — even canned. Full of lycopene, vitamin C, and fiber and low in calories, I like to add tomatoes whenever I can.
- Onions are another great source of vitamin C. They also contain phytochemicals that help your body trigger healthy responses and processes. And, the flavonoids in onions have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson's, and stroke.
- All bell pepper varieties contain vitamins A and C, plus folic acid, fiber, and potassium.
- Mushrooms are another low calorie food that also provides protein and fiber. They also have a healthy amount of vitamins B and D, potassium, copper, and selenium.
- Black beans are a good source of fiber, protein, calcium, magnesium, and iron. They are also naturally low sodium. Check your labels to make sure you are purchasing low-sodium or sodium-free black beans.
- The intakes of vegetable oils can help decrease your risk for certain cancers, help boost your immune system and your metabolism, among other benefits.
- Spices such as chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic, and onion powder provide healthy flavor without adding salt or fat. Many spices also fight inflammation in your body as well as provide you with essential vitamins and minerals to keep your digestive and circulatory systems working properly.