Eggplant Boats (Vegan)

Learn how to make these delicious vegan style eggplant boats. Roasted eggplants with a spice infused tangy tomato, mushroom filling topped with cheese. This recipe is tasty and packed with flavour!

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• Ingredients you will need
• The steps
• Notes and tips
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• Eggplant Boats (Vegan)

When it comes to eggplants I usually keep things simple and boring by making Baigan Choka with them.

However I decided to try something different by making these eggplant boats using some leftover eggplants.

This recipe is truly one of a kind, its one that would be perfect as an appetiser or even a main meal because it is hearty, delicious and not overly complicated.

The eggplant is roast in tandem with the tomatoes, don't skip this step. The roasting of the vegetables is a dry heat method which thoroughly cooks them while developing the flavour through caramelisation.

You've heard me mention the benefits of caramelising vegetables especially in my soup dishes, it is a game changer and really enhances the flavour of the cuisine.

The mushroom and base ingredients (onion/garlic) along with the nutritional yeast, chilli flakes, tomato paste, herbs and spices are cooked until soft and tender.

Then the base ingredients are combined with the roasted vegetables and broken down into a paste before being scooped back into the eggplant shells and topped with cheese.

The results are truly satisfying, definitely date worthy and great to serve as an appetiser or even bulk with a medley of vegetables for a complete meal.

Totally meatless but great for meal prep especially when you want something that is nourishing and plant based that delivers on flavour each and every time.

Ingredients you will need

• Eggplant - This is the star of the show, the inside when cooked makes the perfect filling because of its creamy texture.
• Olive oil - For sauteing and roasting the eggplants.
• Pink salt/black pepper - To optimise the taste.
• Onion/garlic - The savoury base ingredients.
• Mushrooms - They are perfect for any meat substitute due to their meat like texture.
• Tomato/tomato paste - Helps to create moisture and thicken the filling.
• Nutritional yeast - This helps to give the filling a slight cheese twist to it.
• Vegan cheese - For the topping.
• Parsley/thyme - For a herbaceous note

The steps

• Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/gas mark 4.
• Line and grease a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Slice each eggplant in half, making sure to keep the tops intact.
• Place the eggplants with the cut side facing up on a baking tray along with the tomatoes.

• Lightly brush the tops of the eggplant and tomatoes with olive oil.
• Roast the eggplant and tomatoes in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and fork tender (the flesh of the eggplant should be soft and juicy).
• Once roasted, place the tomatoes in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
• Carefully scoop out the flesh from the eggplant and put it into the bowl with the tomatoes.

• Heat a small non stick frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive olive on medium heat.
• Cook the mushrooms until they are soft (this will take a few minutes).
• Once cooked, set them aside in a small separate bowl.
• Replenish the frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
• Add the tomato paste, nutritional yeast, thyme, parsley, chilli flakes and stir for a few minutes.

• Pour the onion-tomato mixture into the bowl with the scooped out eggplant/tomato.
• Use a potato masher (or use a pestle and mortar if you have one) to crush the mixture into a smooth paste.
• Add the mushrooms and stir them into the paste to combine.
• Do a taste test and add black pepper and pink salt to taste.
• Scoop the mixture into the eggplant shells.
• Sprinkle to the vegan cheese over the top.
• Place the oven and allow the cheese to melt (the time will vary depending on the cheese).
• Remove from the oven, leave to slightly cool and serve.

Notes and tips

• Make sure to thoroughly wash the eggplants ahead of time.
• Eggplant is also known as aubergine in the UK.
• When purchasing the eggplants make sure to inspect them first, they should be quite firm, shiny in appearance and feel heavy.
• Try to purchase eggplant that are large in size as large eggplants are likely to create a generous amount of filling.
• Use your preferred vegan cheese, my favourite is Cathedral City this is a UK brand, it doesn't melt perfectly HOWEVER, it tastes just like regular cheese.
• You can use any type of mushrooms to make this recipe, it doesn't matter as they will be chopped it into smaller pieces.
• It is best to consume the boats immediately, I haven't tested if they hold up overnight and freezing them is a no no.
• Feel free to add any extras to your filling i.e peppers, sweetcorn, beans, chickpeas, carrots etc...

more recipes to try

• How to Steam Vegetables On The Stove
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
• Brown Rice Flour Bread Recipe (Vegan/Gluten Free)
• Gluten Free Naan Bread
• Vegan Bean Salad (Caribbean Style)
• How to make egg free mayonnaise (low carb, keto, vegan)

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