Roasted Eggplant
Gluten Free Living – 2020
Roasted Eggplant is succulent and heavenly in my opinion. This simple 4-ingredient recipe can be served as either a side dish or as an appetizer. It cooks down as it roasts becoming soft and almost caramelized. I can eat a half for lunch and be totally satisfied. As an appetizer, it’s really good with a medium heat salsa or a Black Bean salsa with some poblano peppers in it. The heat just amps up the flavors amazingly.
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I got the idea for doing this from a Romanian friend who used to live in our neighborhood. They’ve moved to Florida now but we still keep in touch. She used to bake off eggplants in a slow oven for a few hours. The eggplants were mashed down after baking. Then it was served on pita bread, crackers or veggies. It was so delicious and certainly not anything I ever grew up eating. I loved it.
I have made this recipe so many times since the holidays. The key is cooking it long enough. I cooked the eggplant about an hour or even longer in a 350 convection oven. You don’t want it to maintain the spongy texture it has when it’s raw. It needs to cook down. Like I said earlier, it almost caramelizes. It’s also incredibly easy. I brush the eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. It doesn’t get any easier than that. You do have to be careful with the olive oil however. The eggplants will soak it in. You’ll end up with 500 calories of oil in each half if you’re not careful.
Roasted Eggplant is an incredibly healthy way to eat your veggies! (As long as you don’t put too much oil on top.) This recipe is low calorie, clean eating, gluten free and vegan. I know some people are finicky when it comes to certain kinds of textures like okra, squash and even eggplant. But this recipe is really delicious and a wonderful way to use up garden produce.
I eat this a lot as a side dish, but I’ve eaten plates of it as an appetizer with hummus or salsa. I think even guacamole would be tasty on top. If you want a healthy appetizer for a potluck or tailgating party this is it. Seriously, I can snack on Roasted Eggplant all day long it’s so good. Just heat it up in the microwave and you’re good to go. Whichever way you serve it, this simple and easy recipe is a winner!
Roasted Eggplant is heavenly.
This is terrific served as a side dish. Plus, it’s a great way to get your kids to eat healthy veggies.
Here, I served it as an appetizer with a Black Bean Hummus that featured poblano peppers. It was spicy hot and so, so good.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Wash eggplant and cut in half. Spread olive oil over top of each half. The eggplant will really absorb the oil. Be careful or you will put several tablespoons on each half! That’s a lot of calories.
Season well with salt and pepper.
You can also cut the eggplant down in small slices. Brush each with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Bake at 350 degrees on convection bake for about an hour. Make sure the eggplant is not still spongy but has cooked down. Cook longer if need be.
The smaller pieces will cook more quickly and should definitely be done in a hour. (Maybe less if you have a hot oven).
Serve as a side dish with an pasta, beef, chicken or fish entree. This is also good for Meatless Mondays.
Or serve as an appetizer with hummus or salsa.
I ate gobs and gobs of Roasted Eggplant served with medium heat salsa. It was fantastic.
I also ate a lot of Roasted Eggplant plain. It’s healthy, low calorie, clean eating, gluten free and vegan.
I love Roasted Eggplant and ate it by the bowlful!
Here’s the recipe.
ROASTED EGGPLANT
(My own concoction)
Roasted Eggplant
Equipment
- 1 18x26" cookie sheet pan
- 1 sharp knife to slice eggplants
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplants washed and sliced in half lengthwise
- 6 tbsp. olive oil as needed
- 1 tsp. Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Option 1: Slice eggplants into thin 1/8" slices with a sharp knife; leave either whole slices or cut slices in half.
- Option 2: Slice the whole eggplant in half from seed stem to bottom.
- Place eggplant halves or slices on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Brush each half or slice with olive oil.
- Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350º in a convection oven for about an hour until eggplants darken and are no longer spongy to the touch.
- Remove from oven.
- Serve.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Roasted Eggplant is delightful for tailgating parties or potlucks when you’re looking for a healthy appetizer. Just add some salsa to serve it with and you’re good to go.
Actually when you’re cooking the eggplant, the darker it gets, the better and richer the taste.
Roasted Eggplant is mouthwatering.
Roasted Eggplant is a great idea for tailgating or holiday parties when you’re trying to eat healthy.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Fried Eggplant, Yellow Squash or Zucchini
Slow Roasted Summer Vegetables
Roasted Eggplant
Equipment
- 1 18×26" cookie sheet pan
- 1 sharp knife to slice eggplants
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplants washed and sliced in half lengthwise
- 6 tbsp. olive oil as needed
- 1 tsp. Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Option 1: Slice eggplants into thin 1/8" slices with a sharp knife; leave either whole slices or cut slices in half.
- Option 2: Slice the whole eggplant in half from seed stem to bottom.
- Place eggplant halves or slices on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Brush each half or slice with olive oil.
- Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350º in a convection oven for about an hour until eggplants darken and are no longer spongy to the touch.
- Remove from oven.
- Serve.