Italian Stuffed Eggplant Boats

Stuffed Eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, cheese, and prosciutto is a great way to use fresh eggplant when it’s in season. It’s a light and delicious baked eggplant recipe full of fresh summer flavors.

At the beginning of the summer, I can hardly wait for all the fresh produce, but sometimes I end up with too much on hand and have to figure out what to do with it. It’s a good problem to have because I love coming up with new delicious recipes. Well, this stuffed eggplant is one of them – it’s my favorite way to use eggplant because it’s so delicious and easy.

Eggplant is one of the veggies that I can end up with too much on my hands. Friends and family often ask how I use it. They’re not too sure how to prep and cook it because it’s a bigger veggie, so I tell them, why not some Italian eggplant boats? It’s just like zucchini boats but made with eggplant instead.

Why make eggplant boats?

• This recipe is easy because you only need to slice the eggplants in half and scoop out the pulp. This is a lot easier than trying to dice a whole eggplant!
• You don’t need to salt the eggplant and let it sit before baking it. Once you slice them in half they can go right in the oven.
• The eggplants are baked twice – once without the filling and once with the filling. This ensures the veggies are tender and cooked through without overbaking the filling. You can bake them ahead of time before adding the filling and then, later, stuff them and bake them before serving.
• All of the flavors in this recipe just remind me of summer. Fresh tomatoes, basil leaves, and garlic are mixed with prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. It makes a wonderful side dish or a light main dish.

Ingredients

• Medium-sized eggplants
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Tomato
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Cubed crudo prosciutto
• Minced garlic
• Dried oregano
• Black pepper
• Fresh basil leaves

How to make Eggplant boats

Slice cleaned and dried eggplant in half lengthwise and remove the pulp.

Place the eggplant halves in a prepared baking dish. Sprinkle salt over the top, and then drizzle olive oil over them. Bake them until they are tender.

Remove the seeds from the pulp and then chop it, so you have one cup total. Mix the pulp with the rest of the ingredients. 

Spoon the filling into the baked eggplant. Bake it again and then add more cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted.

Variations

• The easiest way to change this stuffed eggplant recipe is with the cheese. You can use any firm good melting cheese like firm mozzarella, Gruyere, provolone, or fontina. Or you can do a mix of different kinds of cheese.
• Or try some different herbs like parsley, chives, or thyme.
• If you want to make vegetarian stuffed eggplant, just omit the prosciutto or substitute the same amount of cooked mushrooms.
• If you can’t find cubed prosciutto, you can use pancetta or even cooked and crumbled bacon. Or, if you have leftover cooked ground sausage, you could add that.

Italian stuffed eggplant is full of fresh flavors, perfect for an easy meal. It’s light and healthy – the best summer side dish or main dish. Enjoy!

More Summer Vegetable Recipes

• Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Beef and Bread Crumbs
• Homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce
• Rosemary Roasted Onions
• Italian Chicken and Red Pepper Skillet