This is a recipe for how to roast eggplant in the oven so each piece is plump and juicy on the inside, and beautifully caramelised on the outside. Never again suffer through a tray of mushy mess!
Roasted Eggplant
The quickest way to elevate (almost) any vegetable is to roast it. And eggplant is no exception! It’s nothing interesting when raw – pretty tasteless actually.
But when you give it a good blast in a hot oven, it completely transforms. That moment when you bite through the gorgeous caramelised edges and the juicy flesh inside bursts in your mouth… UGH! So good!
Todays recipe is for roasting eggplant cubes. The two other common ways to roast eggplant is cut in half (like boats – here’s a recipe) or sliced into rounds (see this recipe).
What you need for roasted eggplant
Cross my heart, you don’t need anything more than salt, pepper and olive oil to roast eggplant. The caramelisation adds tons of flavour!
Eggplant roasting problems!
A common problem people run into when roasting eggplant cubes is that they turn into mush before they caramelise. Been there, done that!
The key to fix this is simple:
cut into large pieces – smaller pieces cook too quickly and turn into mush before the outside has a chance to caramelise; and
roast at a high temperature so the surface gets “sealed” and holds in the juice inside.
The other problem some people have is that when they go to flip or serve the eggplant cubes, the caramelised skin comes off. This happens if:
you’ve skimped on the oil; or
the flip you use doesn’t have a sharpish edge.
So if you’re a roasted eggplant newbie, parchment / baking paper is highly recommended – this will ensure you don’t lose any of that caramelised skin! (Seriously, it will make you cry if it all gets stuck on the pan)
How to roast eggplant
So with that said and done, here is how to cut and roast eggplant:
cut into thick 3cm / 1.2″ slices, then cut each slice into pieces to form cubes / rectangles
drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss well in a bowl using a rubber spatula
spread out on tray and bake at 240°C/ 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is super soft and caramelised on the edges
Peeling – if you’re bothered by eggplant skin (which I am not – I don’t find it at all chewy), peel “zebra tripes” down the eggplant like this. If you don’t leave at least some skin on, then the eggplant cubes are prone to collapsing and turning into mush – you need some skin to hold it together.
Bitterness & salting – In the past, the standard preparation method for eggplant including salting the eggplant to remove bitterness. The eggplant of today has largely had the bitterness bred out of it so unless you have a very old, very large one, you shouldn’t have this problem. I never have, and I only salt eggplant for specific recipes (like Greek Moussaka).
However, if you can’t get your head around cooking eggplant without salting it, here’s how: sprinkle the cubed eggplant with 1 tsp salt, toss, leave in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse then thoroughly pat dry, toss with oil and pepper (NO SALT), roast per recipe.
Select eggplants that are firm but have a bit of give, and feel heavy for their size (light = dried out inside).
Extra flavour and serving Roasted Eggplant
I truly mean it when I say that eggplant roasted with just salt and pepper is so good, you will be completely happy to eat it plain. And that’s certainly the way I serve it most of the time. It’s so juicy, you don’t even need a sauce!
But if you want to jazz it up a bit, here are a few ideas:
Thyme (my favourite, pictured below) – 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves sprinkled over. It goes so well with roasted eggplant, makes it taste almost buttery;
Parsley, chives or green onions – for touch of freshness and colour (not so much flavour);
Lemon juice – squeeze of fresh lemon juice (also great paired with thyme);
Balsamic vinegar (tiny drizzle) – pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze;
Dollop of yogurt – creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh;
Pomegranate – plus yogurt. Looks spectacular!
Sprinkle of parmesan – reminiscent of Eggplant Parmesan.
More ways to use roasted eggplant!
And a few other ideas for ways to use roasted eggplant:
Dip / spread – Mash it (discard skin) then serve as dip or spread on toast;
On toast – Piled on toast slathered with butter (or ricotta) – try this crusty homemade bread;
Eggplant Parmigiana – Eggplant layered with rich tomato sauce, basil, and parmesan cheese, all topped off with stretchy, gooey mozzarella. Oh yeah!
Pasta – Pasta alla Norma!;
Stirred into curries (the roasting adds so much better flavour!) – try any of these curries but especially Thai Red Curry or Green Curry, this Coconut Curry Sauce; this epic Massaman Lamb Shank Curry. Just stir it in towards the end – it will absorb flavour fast and it will collapse if simmered in the sauce for too long
Stuffed into an omelette;
Tossed through a pasta salad;
Stirred into a stew or soup, like this quick Chicken Stew, this Chickpea Lamb Shawarma Soup, this hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup, Minestrone Soup, Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!) or this Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Stew.
OR in this big, juicy lentil salad piled high with roasted eggplant that I also shared today.
Don’t run for the hills at the thought of lentils – you haven’t tried MY lentil salad yet! It is not your usual bland and boring lentil salad, that’s for sure! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Oven roasted eggplant (aubergine)
Ingredients
- 700g/ 1.2 lb eggplants (2 medium), aka aubergine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (kosher / cooking salt, or 1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan).
- Line a tray with parchment/baking paper (optional – recommended for first timers so you don’t lose the caramelised surface).
- Cut eggplant into large cubes – 3 cm / 1.2″. Place in large bowl, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.
- Toss well, spread on tray, roast 20 minutes. Turn, roast for a further 10 minutes – edges should be caramelised, soft inside, but they’re not shrivelled up and dismal.
- Transfer to serving plate. Delicious served plain, but see below for some finishing options.
FINISHING OPTIONS:
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (my favourite!), drizzle of fresh lemon juice, parsley, chives or green onions (for touch of freshness and colour, not so much flavour), tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar (pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze), dollop of yogurt (creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh).
Recipe Notes:
Life of Dozer
Some people don’t find lunch at my place very relaxing….
This is so buttery. Eating it as I type. Husband grew them for us. Just heard him throw his plate in the sink. Guess his is all gone.
Yummy. I could have eaten the whole eggplant myself but had to share with my husband and he asked for more!
I know the feeling well!
Thoughts on freezing after cooking? I have a nice eggplant that I want to use, but hubby isn’t a fan so was thinking about cooking now and freezing for a night when it’s just me and the kids.
Hi, Nagi
I’ve been meaning to make this for the last several weeks and finally got the chance last nite. It was yummy. I used one eggplant and after I got it cut up, it looked like a huge amount in the big bowl. But after it roasted and carmelized, it cooked down to about less than 1/2 the original amount! Next time I won’t cut the cubes as small because some reduced to just the skin. It was delicious! Thanks. Lisa M in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
just going to ask what other dishes goes with roasted eggplant. thank you
Hi Girlie, I usually use this roasted eggplant in other dishes – see the post and my “More ways to use roasted eggplant!” for ideas & links to recipes. N x
Wooooow! Never had Aubergines like this, so tasty, to gooey, so creamy, so juicy… Just like you said, they really don’t need anything else, just olive oil, salt and pepper. Hmmm…
can you marinate in balsamic vinegar before roasting?
Hi, will Asian eggplants work?
Hi Brin, yes – just cut to a similar size 🙂 N x
I usually make eggplant parmigiana, but didn’t feel like making it this time around as it is pretty involved. So I searched the web and found your recipe. The result is SHOCKINGLY GOOD!!! I sent the recipe to my mom and she’ll be making it tomorrow 🙂 Thank you !!! z.
This is such a delicious recipe! We loved it!
Thanks so much Melanie, I’m so glad it was a hit!! N x
I’ve tried cooking eggplant a number of times and is never nice. Just cooked it up following your tips and this is hands down the easiest and tastiest eggplant I’ve ever had. Thanks for sharing another delicious recipe 🙂
Wahoo, that’s so good to hear Karen! N x
I didn’t think I could love eggplants more but this recipe proved me wrong. So simple yet so delicious melt in your mouth yumminess. Make a double batch since the pieces shrink. Thanks for yet another great recipe Nagi.
I have been advised to not pepper egg plant.
Hi Ann, I’ve never heard that before and have done it all my life 😉 N x
This is a great way to cook eggplant. Never had the skin so tender. I removed some of the skin. I used a little more oil. Topped with mozzarella
cheese and broiled to melt.
Thank you .
Sounds perfect Toby! N x
Thank you Nagi, I make this salad for the first time, it is so delicious even my husband who doesn’t like eggplants can’t stop eating. I used spinach instead of rocket because that is what I have and lots of fresh herbs from my garden, cilantro, mint & oregano. .so yummy!
I LOVE eggplant, so I was revved up to make this recipe. I followed the directions exactly, and the eggplant as nicely browned outside and tasted fine, but there wasn’t even a hint of caramelizing. I put it back in for another 5 minutes, and still nothing. Any suggestions? I have another eggplant ready to go if I can figure out what went wrong.
Hi Jules! The browning is caramelisation, so if yours browned then you should find the edges in particular are almost “chewy” like caramel, it even gets stuck in my teeth! The only thing I could think if yours didn’t have any of that is that (strangely??) your eggplant had less sugar in it?? I don’t even know if that’s possible! N x
I made this recipe tonight. I followed your instructions completely. It was delicious!
Love watching you cook!
I made this recipe tonight. I followed your instructions completely. It was delicious!
Nagi, I made this last night with your meat loaf. I used Chinese eggplant instead. You were right it barely made it to the table. This recipe is so simple yet so delicious. The meatloaf was a hit too.. Two more recipes to add to my daughter’s college cook book. Thank You. PS you are bookmarked as a favorite!
Best eggplant ever. Lucky even a little bit of it actually made it to the tabke.
I have this problem too Marcy 😂