Sticky, spicy, sweet and sour, this healthy kung pao eggplant recipe is a deliciously wholesome alternative to Chinese takeout!
Kung Pao Chicken is one of America’s favorite Chinese restaurant dishes.
It’s also quite possibly one of the least healthy options, with over 700 calories and 42 grams of fat in a single order.
In this healthy kung pao makeover, that addictively sticky kung pao sauce is soaked up by the diced eggplant and veggies.
It gives you all the flavor of traditional kung pao while cutting way back on the extra fat, calories, and sugar.
For dessert, make Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make the kung pao dish even healthier, I served mine with a side of cooked barley.
It would also be great over quinoa, rice noodles, or even spaghetti squash (See: How To Cook Spaghetti Squash).
If you want to try replacing some or all of the eggplant with extra firm tofu or beans for extra protein, be sure to report back with results. It sounds like a delicious and fun experiment.
And feel free to omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t want your kung pao spicy… or add extra if you want it even hotter.
The recipe was inspired by this Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
For the vegetables, I used red peppers, but any bell peppers will do nicely. Or you can even substitute chopped carrot for the bell pepper.
And if you are eating soy free or peanut free, feel free to omit the nuts and play around with coconut aminos or Braggs and a little extra salt for an allergy friendly alternative.
This healthy kung pao recipe can be completely vegan and gluten free!
Kung Pao Eggplant
Ingredients
- 5 cups eggplant, cubed small (12 oz)
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- chopped peanuts and green onions, for garnish
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp white wine or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 1/2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp sweetener of choice, or pinch uncut stevia
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or as desired – omit for non spicy version
Instructions
- Fully dissolve the cornstarch or arrowroot in the water, then whisk together with everything except the first three ingredients. Pour half of this sauce over the eggplant and pepper, reserving the other half. Refrigerate for an hour to marinate. (If you’re in a rush, you can skip the hour’s wait. The actual prep and cook work take under 20 minutes.) Sauté all ingredients except the garnishes in a little oil or oil spray over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until eggplant and pepper are soft. Add garnishes, and serve over cooked rice or barley if desired.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Dinner Options:
This looks really good! I have to make it to my family at some point – though I might have to use zucchini instead off egg plant as my family aren’t too happy about egg plant. But it looks really good!
I really want to make this recipe but am a bit confused about the amount of eggplant. Does the recipe call for 5C. or 12oz of eggplant? Five cups of eggplant would equal more than 12oz. Thank you.
Five cups chopped eggplant is around 12 oz.
Wait, what do you do with the reserved half of the sauce? Add it before or after sauteing?
Before
Tastes fabulous! I made this yesterday with little meat balls (made from minced beef) and loved it! In the Netherlands we are not so familiar with Kung Pao and I never get take out Chinese food, but this one is a keeper :). I forgot to by spring onions, but tastes just fine without it. I used one egg plant and one red bell pepper for two persons.
Thanks for including the picture. It looks great!
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! This sauce is everything! I actually tripled the sauce amount because I added an entire block of tofu, which I dry fried as well as a pack of shirataki noodles. I baked my eggplant in the oven to save time while I was dry frying the tofu. Although I forgot to marinate the eggplant, the whole dish came together beautifully.once I put everything together in my sauce pan. This is a keeper!
This looks and probably tastes delicious! I definitely will have to try it out sometime–kung pao anything and eggplant are my two favorite savory components in food! Pinned!
I added tofu and zucchini while doubling the sauce. Worked great!
Made this for dinner last night, loved it so much I made another batch for lunch today 🙂 Cant wait to try this recipe in other combinations. Thanks so much 🙂
This tasted great! I added chicken and increased the sauce. Thank you!
Another winner! The first time I made it, it seemed a little dry, so next time I made one and one-half times the sauce and added some tofu. I doubled up on the pepper flakes because I like it hot.