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Baked Eggplant Recipe

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4.8 from 100 reviews

This simple and healthy Baked Eggplant recipe highlights tender, roasted eggplants with a flavorful, golden skin. Perfect as a standalone snack, a side dish, or a base for dips like baba ganoush, this dish enhances the natural creaminess of the eggplant without overwhelming it with heavy ingredients. The eggplant is scored to help it cook evenly and absorb olive oil, resulting in a beautifully textured and deeply flavorful vegetable.

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 medium eggplants or 1 large globe eggplant
  • Olive oil, for brushing
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking the eggplants.
  2. Prepare Eggplants: Remove the stem end and bottom from the eggplants. Cut them in half lengthwise. Score the flesh deeply but without cutting through the skin by making diagonal cuts about an inch apart, then turn and cut again to create a diamond pattern.
  3. Brush with Olive Oil: Lightly brush the surface of the scored eggplant flesh with olive oil to promote caramelization and keep the flesh moist during baking.
  4. Bake Eggplants: Place the eggplants flesh-side down on a baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the back looks collapsed and puckered, indicating the eggplant is tender and cooked through.
  5. Cool and Season: Let the baked eggplants cool for about 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to enhance their flavor.
  6. Serve: You may scoop the soft flesh out from the peel to use in dips or enjoy the eggplant plain with the antioxidant-rich skin and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Notes

  • Scoring the flesh helps the eggplant cook evenly and absorb more flavor.
  • Use olive oil generously to enrich the flavor and aid in caramelization.
  • Eggplants can be eaten with the skin, which contains additional nutrients and antioxidants.
  • Allow the eggplant to cool slightly before seasoning to avoid drawing out too much moisture.
  • Perfect as a base for baba ganoush or simply served with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Find it online: https://cookedbyclara.com/baked-eggplant-recipe/