By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 1, 2026
Serves 4
256 cal · 35 min
Eggplant Stir Fry
Recipe GLPRbf9a0b455aacee
A colorful vegetable stir fry featuring tender eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions tossed in a light Italian dressing, finished with fresh cherry tomatoes and served over fluffy brown rice. This wholesome dish is packed with vegetables and makes a satisfying meatless main course.
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Ingredients
2 eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 onions, sliced into rings
3 tablespoons low-fat Italian salad dressing
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups cooked brown rice
Directions
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before beginning.
Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Slice the zucchini into thin rounds, cut the green bell pepper into strips, and slice the onions into rings.
Add the eggplant cubes, zucchini, green bell pepper strips, onion rings, and Italian salad dressing to a large skillet over low to medium-low heat.
Gently stir the vegetables to coat them evenly with the dressing. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender and the vegetables begin to soften, about 12-15 minutes.
Add the cherry tomatoes and stir gently to combine. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes are just heated through and begin to soften slightly.
Divide the cooked brown rice among serving bowls or plates and top each portion with the vegetable stir fry mixture. Serve immediately.
Comments
This is an honest weeknight stir fry with no special-trip ingredients—eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes are standbys at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI year-round, and brown rice costs under $2 for the batch. The real cost driver is the eggplant itself, which runs $1.50–$2.50 per pound depending on season and retailer, so budget $3–$4 for enough to feed four; the rest of the produce and bottled dressing keep the per-serving cost around $2–$2.50. The stated 35 minutes glosses over the eggplant's need for salting and sitting to release moisture (10–15 minutes), which you should do while the rice cooks, so plan for 50 minutes if you are not prepping the eggplant in advance. The dish reheats unevenly—the eggplant can turn mushy and the zucchini soft—so it is best eaten the same night, though it works as a cold leftover salad the next day if you don't mind that texture. It is a solid vegetable-forward choice for a family that likes mild, oil-based flavors and does not mind eating mostly produce, but it will not hold leftovers for a busy second dinner.
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