Greek-style Stuffed Eggplant with minced (ground) meat and tomatoes. Perfect lazy oven baked dinner (stuffing can be prepared in advance), infused by Greek herbs. Gluten-free, kid-friendly. Ground lamb can be used too.
If you’re after a dinner that’s both easy and impressive, these eggplant boats stuffed with minced meat, herbs, and vegetables are a proper winner. They’re hearty, full of flavor, and just scream Mediterranean comfort food.
The dish has roots all over the Mediterranean. It’s very close to the Turkish Imambayildi – basically baked aubergine with tomatoes – and also reminds me of the Greek melitzanes papoutsakia, which literally translates to “little shoes” (a cute way of describing stuffed aubergines). The idea is simple but genius: hollow out the aubergines and fill them with a savory mix of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
I usually serve these for a weekend family dinner when I want something comforting, but a bit special. There’s something so satisfying about cutting into a roasted aubergine and seeing the filling all nestled inside. So, if you fancy a taste of the Mediterranean without hopping on a plane, give these eggplant boats a go. They’re cozy, delicious, and make a gorgeous main course for any evening.
Do not miss these classic Roasted Stuffed Peppers (with Feta Cheese and Eggs) or my simple recipe for Italia Sweet Stuffed Peppers (old-fashioned).
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Eggplants – halved and scooped, they are the base for this quick and light dinner. The eggplant flesh is combined with the minced meat and other ingredients to make the stuffing. Nothing goes to waste here.
- Minced meat – I’ve used either beef minced meat or a mix of beef and pork minced meat, whatever is available at the store.
- Olive oil – olive oil is used for brushing eggplants before baking. It is also needed for sautéing onions and meat.
- Dill, fresh/dried – used with olive oil and garlic powder to brush in the halved eggplants.
- Garlic (powder & fresh garlic cloves) – garlic powder is used for coating eggplant boats. Fresh garlic is used in stuffing.
- Onion – onion is required for the stuffing. All types of onion go well here (yellow, red or spring onions).
- Tomatoes – it’s always better to use fresh tomatoes when in season. Otherwise, substitute with canned, chopped tomatoes.
- Parsley, fresh – fresh parsley adds some extra lovely notes to the stuffing.
- Oregano, fresh/dried – created a complete feeling in combination with parsley.
- Salt – salt is both used in eggplant coating and stuffing.
HOW to cook Stuffed Eggplant?
1st: Scoop out the eggplant boats and brush with oil-herb mix. Bake until almost cooked.
2nd: In the meantime, prepare the stuffing on the stove. Then, fill in boats and bake for additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Stuffed Eggplant Recipe (Mediterranean)
Ingredients
Eggplant Boats
- 4 medium eggplants, cut in half – lengthwise – and hollowed
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. dill finely chopped
- pinch sea salt, or to taste
Stuffing
- hallowed eggplant flesh, cut in small cubes
- 500 g ground meat, (round beef or mix of beef & pork
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, or ½ small can chopped tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. sea salt or more to taste
Instructions
EGGPLANT BOATS
- Wash the eggplants under cold water. Trim off the bottoms and slice them lengthwise.
- Scoop out the flesh, leaving a rim of about ¼ inch – the thinner the rim, the better. Set the removed flesh aside for the stuffing, or cut it into cubes and freeze for later use.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, garlic powder, dill, and salt. Use a pastry brush to coat the eggplant evenly inside with the mixture.
- Arrange the eggplant boats on a non-stick baking dish or pan. Bake in a preheated oven until nearly cooked, checking regularly with a fork. While the eggplants are baking, you can prepare the stuffing.
STUFFING
- In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the olive oil and add the minced meat. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the meat changes color and no longer sticks together.
- Add the chopped eggplant flesh, onion, tomatoes, garlic, salt, parsley, and oregano to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are nearly cooked. Add a splash of water if needed to prevent sticking or burning.
- Once the stuffing is cooked, heap it generously into each eggplant boat. If the stuffing seems a little watery, that’s perfect – it will help keep the eggplants moist while baking.
- Transfer the stuffed eggplants to a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 360°F for about 10 minutes, or until the top of the stuffing becomes slightly crispy. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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