Starters & appetizers
Baked Stuffed Eggplant Boats
Oven-baked eggplant boats filled with ground meat, tomato sauce and vegetables, then topped with cheese and baked until golden.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Fusion
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
Hollow out the eggplants
Wash the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh, leaving a border of about 1 centimeter around the edge. Set the eggplant flesh aside.
Soften the eggplants
Place the eggplant halves on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes to soften them slightly. Then remove them from the oven and set aside.
Sauté the garlic, onion and pepper
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Cook until tender and lightly golden.
Brown the meat with the eggplant flesh
Add the ground meat to the skillet and cook until browned and fully cooked. Add the reserved eggplant flesh and cook for a few more minutes.
Simmer the tomato sauce
Pour the crushed tomato into the skillet and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes to let the flavors blend.
Fill and top with cheese
Fill the eggplant halves with the meat and tomato mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese over each boat.
Bake the eggplant boats
Place the stuffed eggplant boats on a baking tray and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Let rest and serve
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
1 boat (1/4 of the recipe)
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- 13 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Saturated fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
Estimated with USDA FoodData Central by adding up the raw ingredients and dividing by 4 servings. The actual value varies depending on the meat and cheese you choose.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
These baked eggplant boats are made by scooping out the flesh and cooking it with garlic, onion, red pepper, browned ground meat and tomato sauce seasoned with oregano. The reserved eggplant flesh goes back into the filling, so none of the vegetable is wasted. The shells are pre-baked briefly before filling, which helps them become tender all the way through.
Serve one half as a starter or two halves as a main dish. A final layer of cheese melts and browns in the oven, giving the stuffed eggplant a bubbling, savory finish.
