Description
This Grilled Fall Vegetable Bread Boat with Pumpkin Seed Pesto is a comforting and visually stunning dish perfect for autumn. Hollowed-out sourdough bread is filled with layers of grilled zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, combined with a flavorful oil-free white bean and pumpkin seed pesto, then baked until crispy. A delightful vegetarian main course or shareable appetizer that highlights seasonal vegetables and a nutrient-packed pesto.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread Boat
- 1 large loaf sourdough bread
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Grilled Vegetables
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1 medium Italian eggplant
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for grilling)
Oil-Free White Bean & Pumpkin Seed Pesto
- 1 (15.5 oz.) can cannellini beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons water (or as needed to blend)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon green onions
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the bread: Carve out a wide and deep piece from the top of the sourdough loaf to create a hollow with a thin wall for the boat. Cut the excess bread from the top piece to create a lid and set it aside.
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking pan for the bread boat.
- Slice the vegetables: Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice the zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant into long strips. Adjust quantities to fit the size of the bread.
- Grill the vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the zucchini strips until grill marks appear. Repeat grilling separately for yellow squash and eggplant, placing each grilled vegetable on separate plates.
- Make the pesto: Combine cannellini beans, fresh basil, pumpkin seeds, water, garlic, green onions, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor. Blend until slightly chunky and well combined. Set aside.
- Assemble the bread boat: Spread a layer of pesto inside the hollowed bread, then add a layer of one grilled vegetable. Alternate layers of pesto and vegetables until the bread is filled, leaving enough space to place the lid on top.
- Bake the filled bread boat: Place the bread boat on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the bread becomes crispy.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bread boat to cool until it can be handled easily, then cut into slices. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
- Use the leftover carved-out bread to make homemade croutons for salads or soups.
- You can swap pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds if allergic or unavailable.
- For a richer pesto, add a drizzle of olive oil although this recipe is oil-free in pesto.
- Adjust grilling times depending on the thickness of vegetable slices to avoid overcooking.
- Leftovers taste great toasted the next day.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approximately 1/6 of bread boat)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
