If you love stuffed vegetables and want to try a different variant, these eggplants stuffed with pesto will win you over at the first taste. After trying many stuffed eggplant recipes – from classic meat-stuffed eggplants, to those with rice, to the simpler boat-shaped eggplants – this version pleasantly surprised me with its ease and unique taste. The sweetness of the eggplants combines with the fresh aroma of Genoese pesto, creating a creamy and fragrant filling, enriched with melting cheese, parmesan, and breadcrumbs.
The pesto-stuffed eggplants are perfect as a light yet flavorful vegetarian main course, ideal to bring to the table when looking for tasty but not too demanding dishes. With a few simple ingredients – eggplants, pesto, eggs, cheese, and breadcrumbs – you will get an easy and genuine recipe that will please everyone.
Serve them straight from the oven or warm: they will always be irresistible. Pesto-stuffed eggplants will become one of your favorite recipes, to be redone every time you want to amaze with simplicity and taste.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 439.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 30.74 (g) of which sugars 12.21 (g)
- Proteins 21.32 (g)
- Fat 27.33 (g) of which saturated 4.58 (g)of which unsaturated 2.68 (g)
- Fibers 9.90 (g)
- Sodium 364.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 297 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Pesto-Stuffed Eggplants
If you are celiac, besides using gluten-free breadcrumbs, make sure the Genoese pesto label says “gluten-free”.
- 2 large oval black eggplants (about 21 oz each)
- 3 tablespoons Genoese pesto
- 1.75 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 2.5 oz breadcrumbs (for me gluten-free)
- 1 egg
- 5.25 oz scamorza cheese
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Melon Baller
- Parchment Paper
- 1 Frying Pan non-stick
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking Dish
How to Prepare Pesto-Stuffed Eggplants
To prepare the pesto-stuffed eggplants, start by washing the eggplants and removing the stalks. Cut them in half lengthwise, then score the flesh a few millimeters from the skin with a knife (1). Use a melon baller or a spoon to remove the flesh, leaving a thin layer attached to the skin (2). Salt the inside of the shells and lightly oil them (you can use an oil sprayer or a kitchen brush) (3).
Bake them in a preheated oven at 355°F for about 15 minutes, until they are slightly softened (4). This step is not essential: you can also fill the raw shells and cook them together with the filling. However, I prefer a brief pre-cooking, because eggplant skins sometimes turn out tough and risk remaining hard. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the reserved flesh (5). In a non-stick frying pan, pour in 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil and heat it well (6).
Add the eggplant flesh and lightly salt it (7). Cook it over high heat for about ten minutes, until it is soft and golden (8). Turn off the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, cut the scamorza cheese into cubes (9).
Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan to the bowl (10), saving a generous tablespoon to garnish the stuffed eggplants. Mix well and add the pesto (11) and the scamorza cheese cubes (12).
Lastly, add the egg, previously beaten in a small bowl (13). Mix carefully, until you get a homogeneous and rather soft mixture (14). Take the shells and fill them with the stuffing, pressing well to make it adhere to the shells (15).
Line a baking dish with parchment paper and lightly oil it. Arrange the stuffed eggplants and garnish with the remaining grated parmesan. Finish with a drizzle of oil (16). Bake the pesto-stuffed eggplants in a preheated oven (static) at 355°F for about 25 minutes, until the surface is golden and gratinated.
Take them out of the oven and let them rest a few minutes outside: they are excellent both hot and at room temperature.
Storage
Pesto-stuffed eggplants can be stored in the refrigerator, closed in an airtight container, for 2 days. When serving, you can reheat them in the oven at 320°F for 10 minutes or in the microwave. I do not recommend freezing, as the texture of the eggplant tends to become watery after thawing.
Tips and Variations
Pesto-stuffed eggplants lend themselves to various reinterpretations: you can enrich them with grains – a few tablespoons of already cooked rice, farro, or couscous turn them into a complete single dish – nuts (pine nuts, almonds, or chopped walnuts), or other vegetables, such as zucchini or bell peppers diced and sautéed in the pan with the eggplant flesh, for a richer filling.
