Published April 2026
Spiced Lentil and Aubergine Boats
In honour of World Pulses Day (February 10), we’re putting lentils centre stage with these spiced lentil and aubergine boats.
In this recipe, the whole aubergine is used as a “boat” to hold the filling. Pumpkin, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and zucchini can also be used in this way, giving meals a creative twist and avoiding food waste in the process. This recipe is flexible, forgiving, and designed to work with what you’ve got on hand. Lentils are a great option, but other legumes like chickpeas or beans will also do the job.
Aubergine has a naturally meaty flesh, and when combined with warming spices like paprika, cumin, and curry powder, makes for a delicious filling in this recipe.
And to quiet the protein-police who are worried that a meal isn’t “complete” without meat, feel free to share this recipe and tell them that lentils are not only protein-rich, but also packed with fiber (and better for the planet!).
These aubergine boats are finished off with a generous drizzle of garlic tahini dressing that adds just the right amount of tang.
Here’s what you need:
Spiced Lentil and Aubergine Boats
Ingredients (4 people)
- 4 small aubergines
- 60 ml olive oil
- 100 g chopped mushrooms
- 130 g chopped zucchini
- 240 g chopped onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 400 g cooked lentils
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (~400 g)
- 1 tsp dried cumin
- 1 1 /2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the garlic tahini dressing:
- 60g smooth tahini
- 45 ml water (3 tbsp), plus more if needed
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice (2 tbsp)
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
- 2 minced garlic cloves, finely grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 175°C.
- Chop the aubergines in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the flesh to make a well and save it in a bowl for later. Place the aubergine halves on baking trays, cut-side up. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake for 15 min. Leave the oven on as you will need it in step 5.
- In the meantime, make your filling. In a pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp (30ml) of olive oil. Add the chopped mushrooms, zucchini, onion, and garlic, and cook for around 5 minutes. Add all of the spices and stir for 1 min.
- Add the cooked lentils, crushed tomatoes, and reserved eggplant flesh. Simmer for 10 min, stirring occasionally.
- Fill each of the eggplant halves with this mixture. Increase the oven temp to 190°C and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the aubergines finish in the oven make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Thin with more water if needed.
- Drizzle the eggplant boats with lemon-garlic tahini dressing before serving.
Written by Sofia Cadahia
Sofia is part of the Impact and Sustainability team at CrowdFarming, working at the intersection of nutrition, sustainability, and environmental justice. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a background in Digital Marketing, she uses storytelling to explore how food systems shape health, equity, and environmental outcomes, as well as the often unseen forces that determine who benefits, who bears the cost, and what ends up on our plates.
Comments
Keep digging ...
