The recipe for eggplant boats is one of my favorite ways to prepare this flavorful vegetable. My mom often made this dish as a fridge-cleanout, using various leftover cheeses and vegetables.
The big difference between my recipe and hers is that my mom used to fry the eggplants: fried eggplant is certainly tasty before stuffing, but also very greasy, which isn’t ideal for a diet.
In this recipe I completely avoid frying; in fact there are no added fats except the small amount naturally present in the meat, even though it’s very lean. I also used light mozzarella and a few sprays of oil to help brown the surface of the eggplant boats. Let’s make them.
You can find other light eggplant recipes here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 2 or 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
Ingredients
I often use oil in spray form to better control how much oil I use. If you find ready-made spray oil, great; otherwise I suggest finding suitable small bottles and filling them with your preferred oil.
- 2 eggplants (long)
- 3 oz lean ground beef (very lean)
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 1 mozzarella (light)
- 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan
- 4 teaspoons breadcrumbs
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- to taste salt and pepper
- A few sprays oil spray
- Points for 1 whole eggplant = 6 WW points
- Points for half an eggplant = 3 WW points
Tools
- Oil sprayer
- Pan
Steps
Wash the eggplants, trim the ends and cut them in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the center of the eggplants by first cutting along the edges and across the center, then using a spoon to lever out the pulp. Remove the remaining flesh to make the interior even. The final effect will look like a little boat. Reserve the pulp.
Put a little salt inside the boats and place them upside down on a rack to drain so they lose some of the typical bitter taste of eggplants.
Slice the onion thinly, chop the reserved eggplant pulp into small pieces and cut the mozzarella into cubes.
Brown the meat in a preheated nonstick pan. Add the chopped eggplant pulp and sauté with the meat for about 5 minutes.
Also add the onion and stir. Let the onion wilt, adding a splash of water if necessary, then pour in two tablespoons of dry white wine and let it evaporate.
Pour in the passata, add torn basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for about ten minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
Let the mixture cool slightly before filling the eggplants.
Rinse the eggplant boats, pat them dry and place them in a sufficiently large baking dish. Divide the sauce equally among the boats.
Place the mozzarella cubes on the eggplants. Then sprinkle each eggplant with one teaspoon of breadcrumbs and half a teaspoon of Parmesan. Spray a little oil over the surface of the eggplants.
Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish to prevent the eggplants from sticking and to ensure they cook through. Bake at 356°F for 30 minutes, then increase to 392°F for another 10–15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly — they are also good served cold. If the eggplants are very long like mine, cut each boat in half before serving.
Here are our ready eggplant boats, served here with a Roman-style puntarelle salad.
If you eat half an eggplant — that is, one boat per person — this dish will be a light main course. If you have plenty of Weight Watchers points available it becomes a hearty main instead.
Serve the eggplant boats with good whole grain bread and a fresh salad to have a balanced meal with all the nutrients.
They are really delicious: try them and tell me how much you liked them.
Enjoy your meal everyone!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare eggplant boats in advance; they will keep in the fridge for a few days. You can also freeze them and then, once partially thawed, put them in a hot oven to melt the mozzarella again and brown the breadcrumbs.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How can I make this dish suitable for a vegan diet?
For a vegan version, use soy mince or pre-cooked lentils, the small brown ones. For cheese, use a vegan alternative and replace the Parmesan with nutritional yeast.
The nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast rich in B vitamins. It’s commonly used in vegan cooking because it gives dishes a cheesy flavor. To learn more read here: Nutritional Yeast: what it is, how to use it and why!
