These mini vegan, lentil-stuffed eggplant boats make for the perfect plant-based weeknight dinner recipe! With simple ingredients and lots of ways to mix and match with what you’ve got, I think you’re gonna love these!
Aren’t these mini eggplants just the cutest?!
With less trips to the grocery store during this pandemic, we’ve had to get a little creative with our dinners and work with what we’ve got. I had been researching companies that deliver produce at a cheaper price and came across Misfits Market, a company that sells organic produce that may be misshapen or even “funny looking” at a discounted price. Misfits has committed to reducing global food waste by selling produce that would otherwise be thrown away but that is perfectly safe to eat!
Every couple of weeks we get a new box of produce with all kinds of fruits and vegetables that I wouldn’t normally think to buy. I’ve loved experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen lately, and when I saw 4 mini eggplants in my box, I thought, “let’s have some fun and make some stuffed eggplant boats!” And out of this idea came the recipe for these AMAZING Moroccan Spiced Vegan Lentil and Eggplant Boats. YUM.
These eggplant boats are stuffed with a tomato-based lentil mixture brimming with warming moroccan spices and drizzled with a garlicky tahini dressing. This recipe is super versatile and would also work great stuffed with chickpeas or beans and any vegetables you have in your fridge!
What you Need
- Eggplants
- Olive Oil
- Lentils
- Mushrooms, zucchini, and onion (feel free to switch it up!)
- Garlic
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Spices: cumin, paprika, curry powder, salt, and pepper
How to Make an Eggplant Boat!
The key to making an eggplant boat (or any other variation of a veggie boat) is to cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out just enough of the insides to make a well for stuffing your veggie mixture into.
Keep the filling! instead of throwing out the insides of your eggplant, you can sautee them along with your vegetables for even more veggie-goodness 🙂
Next, you drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper on the eggplants and bake them alone for 15 minutes at 350 degrees face-up. Once the timer goes off you can take these out of the oven, BUT leave the oven on and increase the temperature to 375 degrees because they are gonna go right back in the oven once you fill them with your mixture.
In the mean time, sauté your onions, garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini in a little bit of olive oil and cook until tender. Add in your spices and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Fill your eggplant boats with this lentil and vegetable mixture and place them back in the oven for 10 more minutes, increasing the heat to 375 degrees.
Lastly, top these beauties with the best lemony garlic tahini dressing and VOILÁ there you have it, a healthy and fancy-looking vegan dinner made in under an hour.
Hope you guys enjoy!
Need some dinner inspiration? Check out my latest posts for more delicious recipes!
- Butternut Squash Carrot Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Sausage, Kale, Butternut Squash Pasta
- Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato, and Jamón Serrano Pasta
Moroccan Spiced Vegan Lentil and Eggplant Boats
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
Ingredients
- 4 eggplants
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups *cooked lentils
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp coconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Cut the eggplants lengthwise in half. Scoop out some of the insides with a spoon to make a well. Save the inside pieces to sautee later. Place 2 eggplants on each baking sheet face up. Drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil spread evenly over all 4 and a pinch of salt and pepper on each. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Leave the oven on for later.
- In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add all of the spices and stir for 1 minute
- Add the lentils and and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Fill the eggplant boats with the lentil and vegetable mixture and place them back in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 more minutes.
- Drizzle the eggplant boats with lemony garlic tahini dressing
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