Recipes

Eggplant

Eggplant Info: comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, but all can be used interchangeably in recipes. It can be used peeled or unpeeled, depending on preference and the recipe. It is always cooked. Try it baked, stuffed, sautéed, steamed, made into a puree, grilled, fried. There’s 7 basic ways right there…try a different one each week! Eggplant itself doesn’t freeze well, but you can freeze dishes you’ve already made with eggplant in it, such as ratatouille, baba ghanouj, or eggplant parmesan. Eggplant should be used fairly quickly, as it doesn't like being stored in the fridge for too long.

Titles on this page, in order. Scroll down to find the recipe you're interested in:

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, Basil-Eggplant Salad, Couscous with Tomato Eggplant Sauce, Eggplant-Squash Dip, Eggplant Parmigiana, Grilled Eggplant Sandwich, Herbed Baby Eggplant, Eggplant Appetizer, Pasta-Free Eggplant Lasagne

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole
(from Louisa F.)
24 ounce jar any flavor tomato sauce.
2 medium-sized eggplants, sliced about ½ inch thick, leaving skin on
Olive oil, about 2 to 3 TBS
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
½ to ¾ c shredded parmesan cheese (divided in half)
Seasoned salt if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pkg (8 Oz) fresh mozzarella, shredded
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spread the bottom of  a 9” x 14” pan with ½ jar of sauce.  Place the eggplant in overlapping layers.  Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the eggplant, & top with ½ of the parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.   Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil, and bake at least 40 minutes until the eggplant is tender.  Remove from the oven and remove the foil.   Top with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Basil-eggplant salad
Makes 8 servings
3 medium eggplants, skin on, cut into chunks
1 c olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Black pepper
1 c fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
Place eggplant in foil-lined roasting pan. Toss with 1/2 c olive oil, salt, and garlic.
Bake 35 minutes at 400 degrees, or until eggplant is soft but not mushy. Cool 5 minutes on pan; transfer to large bowl.
Heat remaining olive oil in large skillet; add onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
Add onions to eggplant. Season generously with pepper.
Add basil and lemon juice; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Couscous with tomato eggplant sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 eggplant, skin on, diced
1 green pepper, finely sliced
2 c chopped fresh tomatoes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp each dry basil, rosemary, & oregano
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1 c water
1 lb whole-wheat couscous
Cook onion until golden in olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add eggplant and green pepper; cook and stir 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, paprika, basil, rosemary, oregano, parsley and water; stir.
Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. Mash eggplant, then cook 30 minutes more.
Cook couscous according to package directions. Serve sauce over hot cooked couscous.

Eggplant-squash dip
1 lb yellow summer squash, cubed
1 medium eggplant
2 Tbsp tahini (sesame butter)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 large garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
Salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c freshly chopped parsley
Steam squash until tender; drain. Mash to a coarse consistency. Scoop into a serving dish.
Pierce eggplant skin at 1-inch intervals with fork. Broil, turning often, until eggplant is uniformly browned, which takes about a half hour.
Cool eggplant, cut open, and spoon pulp into bowl with squash. Mix vegetables; blend in add tahini, sesame seeds, garlic, lemon or lime juice, and salt. Chill.
Drizzle cooled dip with oil and garnish with parsley. Serve with pita bread or crackers.

Eggplant Parmigiana
3-4 eggs
1 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 c bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying
2 large eggplants, peeled & sliced 1/2-inch thick
Prepared marinara sauce
16 oz mozzarella, sliced
In a bowl, beat eggs with 1/4 c grated cheese. Place bread crumbs in a bowl or pie plate.
Heat 1/2 inch oil in skillet. One at a time, dip eggplant slices in egg mixture to coat, then in bread crumbs to coat. Lay on waxed paper. When oil is very hot, but not smoking, fry eggplant, working in batches, about 30 seconds per side till lightly browned. Remove to paper towels.
In a 9- by 13-inch baking pan, place layers of eggplant, marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan until pan is full, ending with Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.

Grilled eggplant sandwich
1 large eggplant
1/4 c olive oil
1 long loaf crusty French bread
1/4 c basil pesto
1/4 lb provolone cheese, thinly sliced
6 sliced mild peppers, such as banana peppers
1 fresh tomato, optional
Slice eggplant 1/4-inch thick. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Grill over low to medium coals, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, 5-7 minutes total.
Cut bread in half lengthwise. Spread pesto on cut faces of bread. Place eggplant, cheese, peppers and optional tomato in layers on one half of loaf. Top with other half of loaf.
If desired, wrap loaf in foil and heat at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Cut crosswise into 4 sandwiches and serve.

Herbed baby eggplant
3 lbs small Oriental-type eggplants
3 tsp salt
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c sherry or red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c fresh basil leaves, cut into shreds
Remove eggplant caps and quarter. Sprinkle with salt; let drain 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
Spread pieces in a single layer on baking sheet, cut sides up.
Mix garlic and oil, and drizzle over eggplants. Bake 30 minutes, until the eggplant is brown and tender. Cool slightly.
Rinse basil leaves. Stack leaves and cut into thin shreds.
Place eggplant in a large bowl and drizzle with vinegar, add basil shreds and toss.

Eggplant appetizer
1 large eggplant
1/3 c chopped onion
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Pierce skin of eggplant in several places. Cut in half lengthwise and place on greased baking sheet. Broil 8-10 minutes, until soft.
Scoop pulp from skin with a spoon and place in bowl. Add onion, olive oil, dill, salt, and pepper; blend well. Serve hot or cold with plain crackers or bread

Pasta-Free Eggplant Lasagna
-Lisa K. "Super-easy, and you just use eggplant slices instead of lasagne noodles"
Serves 2 to 3
1 large or 2-3 small eggplants, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
1 large or 2-3 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4 –inch thick
1 c chopped fresh basil and/or parsley
1 c spaghetti sauce
1 c cheese (cottage cheese or shredded mozzarella or Italian blend)
Grated Parmesan cheese
In small baking dish, spread a spoonful of sauce.
Layer eggplant slices, tomato slices, all of the herbs and ½ of the sauce and cheese.
Make a second layer of eggplant, tomatoes, remaining sauce and cheese.
Sprinkle parmesan on the top
Bake, covered, at 350 for 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes
Serve with salad and/or crusty Italian bread.