I love roast eggplant. Such a lovely comforting texture. But I rarely think to cook it during the week. Roasting a batch of eggplant like this is perfect to have on hand for super quick veggie dinners.
Roast Eggplant (Aubergine)
Ingredients
- 2 or more medium eggplant halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250C (480F).
- Score eggplant flesh in a diamond pattern. Drizzle with olive oil and place on a roasting tray. Season generously.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggplant is browned & super tender.
Variations
hot! – feel free to sprinkle eggplant liberally with finely chopped chilli or dried chilli.
spices – sprinkle eggplant with cumin or coriander seeds or both. Sumac is also really lovely with eggplant.
herbs – scatter over some rosemary or thyme.
BBQ – for a more smoky eggplant. Char whole eggplant on all sides on the BBQ until well blackened and soft. Remove charred skin before using.
sliced / short on time – sometimes I slice or dice the eggplant instead of halving. This decreases the cooking time.
different veg – zucchini (courgettes), capsicum (bell peppers), mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage.
saucy – add tomato passata or chopped canned tomatoes to the roasting tray.
Usage Suggestions
pasta sauce – chop eggplant and simmer for 5-10 minutes in your favourite commercial tomato pasta sauce or a can of tomatoes. Also lovely with tuna in this recipe.
main event – serve half an eggplant per person with a sauce such as pesto or this miso dressing.
curry – like this eggplant & chickpea one. Or replace the protein with chopped cooked eggplant in this hot & fiery curry or even this creamy curry.
sauce – scoop flesh from the skins of 2 halves, finely chop and stir in 1-2 finely chopped garlic cloves, some lemon juice and a few tablespoons tahini for a less smoky version of babaganoush.
with legumes – great stirred through these braised beans or some cooked lentils.
soup – wonderful in a white bean and eggplant soup.
tortillas – recipe here.
Prepare Ahead?
Absolutely. Takes about 60 minutes.
Storage Best Practices
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Will keep in the fridge for 3-4 weeks or so. To extend the shelf life cover with extra virgin olive oil. Can be frozen for up to 12 months.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
eggplant – raw will keep for a few weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few weeks. The best bet is to roast it like this and cover with oil to keep for longer.
Problem Solving Guide
bland? – add in a little more salt and pepper.
eggplant burning – reduce the heat or cook for a shorter time.
eggplant hard – make sure you leave the eggplant until the flesh is super soft. There’s nothing worse than undercooked eggplant.
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Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I love the idea of roast eggplant, and am looking forward to trying it with both coriander and sumac (separately). I have been roasting Brussels sprouts for years, and recently have been doing cauliflower. It just dawned on me that roasted eggplants would probably be good as part of your Magic Sausage Supper, which is one of our favorite dinners, weather permitting (i.e., not too hot).
Yes Susan! Great idea to include eggplant in the. Magic Sausage Supper! Jx