With summer temperatures now reaching their peak, the invitations to garden parties just keep on piling up. Between enjoying the sunshine with a hot dog and cold beer by the pool, we’re often left wondering one thing: what am I supposed to bring for the host? Well, it’s usually best to provide something for everyone to enjoy, so we’ve come up with the perfect garden party gift that’ll have guests coming back for more!
Pulled Eggplant with Pesto and Mozzarella
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 3/4 cup mini mozzarella balls
- 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Cut a criss-cross pattern into the eggplant, but be sure not to cut right through. Place the eggplant into a casserole dish.
- To make the pesto, add basil, vegetable oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into a bowl and purée everything. Spoon the pesto into the gaps between the eggplant cubes.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes and the mini mozzarella balls into thin slices, place them on top of each other, and insert them into the gaps.
- To finish, sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the eggplant and bake it at 360°F for 40 minutes.
VIDEO
For larger parties, you may want to prepare more than one eggplant so there’s enough to go around; hungry guests will also find that slowly pulling each tasty morsel out can get quite addicting! You needn’t stop at just eggplant either — our tasty pull-apart bread is a delicious alternative that’s also great for sharing. Dig in!