Learn how to roast eggplant that turns out perfectly every time. When baked, the eggplant becomes golden and caramelized on the edges while staying soft and tender in the middle - no mushiness here!
You can serve it up as a side dish with yogurt dip, toss it into salads, or mix it with pasta.
Even if you're not a fan of eggplant, this Mediterranean recipe might just change your mind. Cooking eggplant can be tricky, but when you nail it, it's seriously tasty.
More eggplant recipes? Try eggplant dip, eggplant curry, eggplant parm.
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Roasted Eggplant Video
Ingredients
- Eggplant - choose ripe, medium-sized eggplants with the skin on.
- Sesame oil - adds depth and tastes great with eggplant. It is my top choice for roasting the eggplant.
- Goat cheese - if goat cream cheese isn't available, no worries! Just grab some goat cheese and mix it with yogurt or cream cheese until it's nice and creamy. Replace goat cheese with feta cheese, or cotija cheese.
- Lemon juice - for a twist, squeeze fresh lemon juice into the whipped goat cheese mixture. It helps to balance the flavors and creaminess.
- Yogurt - plain, unsweetened yogurt, preferably greek yogurt.
- Raspberries - optional and adds a nice sweetness and a pop of color! Instead of raspberries you can use pomegranate seeds.
- For seasoning I'm using salt+ black pepper, but feel free to add more flavor with Italian seasoning!
Here's How I Like To Check for Fresh Eggplants:
Give them a gentle squeeze-the skin should be smooth, and the flesh should feel firm. If you notice soft spots, they might be past their prime.
The skin is totally edible and full of nutrients, so no need to peel! But if you're working with a really old or oversized eggplant, the skin might be too tough.
In that case, leave the skin on while cooking (it helps keep the eggplant from turning to mush), then just scoop out the soft flesh when eating.
How To Serve Roasted Eggplant
- Serve as is, hot with creamy cheesy yogurt sauce, homemade pesto or drizzle tangy homemade balsamic glaze on top.
- Cut into cubes and serve in salad.
- As a side dish with protein rich mains - chicken parmesan, air fryer chicken thighs, chicken tenders, slow cooker ribs, or air fryer fried chicken.
- With seafood - baked cod, baked trout.
- Use roasted eggplant in this simple tomato eggplant pasta.
- Fold it into a wrap.
- turn it into an eggplant dip.
- Add it to your favorite grain or rice bowls.
How To Roast Eggplant
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place a flat baking sheet with water in the bottom of the oven for added humidity - it helps keep the eggplant moist without making it mushy.
- Cut 2 eggplants in half lengthwise and make criss-cross cuts on each half. Brush them with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and generously season with salt (and pepper if desired).
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until they turn golden brown and soft inside. To check for doneness, poke them with a wooden skewer - if they're soft but not mushy, they're ready.
- While the eggplants are baking, prepare the yogurt sauce: whisk yogurt, goat cheese, and lemon juice until creamy. If you like, you can add a pinch more salt for taste, although goat cheese is already salted.
- Once the eggplants are done, brush them again with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and to with the yogurt sauce. Serve with raspberries, cilantro, sea salt flakes, and sesame seeds.
Which Type Of Eggplants To Use?
Italian Eggplants
With their teardrop shape, are smaller and sweeter than globe eggplants. They're versatile and perfect for this dish.
Plus, you don't need to salt them before cooking since they lack bitterness. This is what I used.
Globe Eggplants
They're large, round eggplants, making them perfect for creating single-portion oven-grilled halves.
These are widely available in the U.S. and are ideal for this dish.
Graffiti Eggplants
Graffiti eggplants are smaller and teardrop-shaped. While you can use them for oven-roasted halves, keep in mind that they cook more quickly and will yield smaller portions.
Storing Leftovers
- To Store. After roasting, allow the eggplant to cool first and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Meal Prep. You can roast eggplant ahead of time, but avoid slicing and storing the raw slices as they'll turn brown.
- To Freeze. You can freeze the eggplant halves for up to 3-4 months. BUT I don't recommend as the texture will be mushy after thawing. Fresh is best!
- To Reheat. To warm up baked eggplant, preheat the oven to 350°F. This lower temperature prevents burning.
Do You Eat Eggplant Skin and Seed?
The skin and seeds of roasted eggplant are edible. But if you prefer, you can remove the larger ones before using the eggplant in your recipe.
Bitterness In Eggplants
Modern eggplants are less bitter than before, so they don't require the lengthy salting and resting process they once did. However, if you prefer to salt your eggplant:
- Rinse the eggplants under cold water, dry with paper towels, and cut each in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with a sharp knife in a diamond crosshatch pattern about one inch deep, being careful not to pierce the skin.
- Arrange the eggplant halves on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil, placing them cut side up. Sprinkle an even, single layer of kosher salt over the surface of the eggplant halves to draw out excess moisture. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, gently squeeze the extra moisture from the eggplant halves over a sink or large bowl, and then pat them dry with a paper towel. Finally, using a fresh sheet of paper towel, pat dry each half of the eggplant. This step ensures that the eggplant is properly dried before roasting, resulting in a better texture and flavor.
- Proceed with the recipe instructions.
Favorite Eggplant Recipes
Before You Head Out
If you gave this recipe a try, I'd be so thankful if you could leave a ★★★★★ rating and review below. It helps other readers, supports my work, and means the world to me. Thank you for being part of The Yummy Bowl family. Happy cooking! ❤️
Recipe Card
Quick Roasted Eggplant (With Sesame Oil & Cheese)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place a flat baking sheet with water in the bottom of the oven for added humidity - it helps keep the eggplant moist without making it mushy.
- Cut 2 eggplants in half lengthwise and make criss-cross cuts on each half. Brush them with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and generously season with salt (and pepper if desired).2 medium eggplants, 4 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until they turn golden brown and soft inside. To check for doneness, poke them with a wooden skewer - if they're soft but not mushy, they're ready.
- While the eggplants are baking, prepare the yogurt sauce: whisk yogurt, goat cheese, and lemon juice until creamy. If you like, you can add a pinch more salt for taste, although goat cheese is already salted.¼ cup yogurt, ⅓ cup goat cheese, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Once the eggplants are done, brush them again with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and to with the yogurt sauce. Serve with raspberries, cilantro, sea salt flakes, and sesame seeds.1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, 1 handful of raspberries, 4 teaspoon sesame oil
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- To Store. After roasting, allow the eggplant to cool first and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Meal Prep. You can roast eggplant ahead of time, but avoid slicing and storing the raw slices as they'll turn brown.
- To Freeze. You can freeze the eggplant halves for up to 3-4 months. BUT I don't recommend as the texture will be mushy after thawing. Fresh is best!
- To Reheat. To warm up baked eggplant, preheat the oven to 350°F. This lower temperature prevents burning.
- This recipe is gluten free, low carb and vegan if using other sauce or vinaigrette.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
FAQ
You don't necessarily need to peel the eggplant before roasting. The entire eggplant with skin is edible, in fact, it contains more nutrients than the eggplant flesh itself. However, with some old overripe eggplants, the skin can be bitter or too tough to chew on.
There is a quick simple trick you can do to keep the eggplant soft but not mushy when baking. Place a flat baking sheet in the bottom of the oven with a bit of water while baking. It helps the eggplant to stay moist, not dry, and not mushy.
You don't necessarily have to salt your eggplant because most modern varieties are bred to be less bitter. However, if you're using a large eggplant, it's more likely to have a bitter taste, so salting can help.
Here's how: generously sprinkle the eggplant halves or slices with salt, at least 1 teaspoon per eggplant. Then, place them in a colander over the sink to drain for about an hour.
It might seem like a lot of salt, but it's necessary for the eggplant to release moisture and bitterness. After an hour, rinse the slices with water and proceed with the roasted eggplant recipe as usual.
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Charah
Love these! I haven't tried this yet, one of these days I will definitely try, thanks!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Charah!
Erik
Beautiful presentation and very tasty. It was the star of my big dinner last night.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you so much Erik!
TAYLER ROSS
I made this eggplant for dinner last night and it was delicious! Definitely a new favorite for our family!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
glad you enjoyed Tayler!
Tara
Oh yum! You had me at the golden and caramelized edges. The eggplant looks absolutely amazing.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Tara!
Paula
I love eggplant but usually I just have it pan seared. This method is 10x better, love the flavors with the goat cheese & raspberries!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
it's one of my favorite veggie dinners, thank you!
Julia
Delicious eggplant with perfectly tender texture every time!