This simple eggplant preparation is one of the best—as easy and delicious as grilling. Roast small Italian eggplant as a versatile side dish and drizzle with lemon or your favorite vinaigrette. Or roast larger globe eggplant and use the flesh in other recipes like pastas, soups, or starters (my favorite is the Eggplant Caviar).

Get inspired:

View a collection of roasted eggplant recipes or a slideshow of some of our all-time favorite eggplant recipes.

Video:

Watch this Oven-Roasted Eggplant recipe in action.

More Eggplant Basics:

Learn more ways to cook eggplant to tender, silky perfection and watch a video to learn how to grill eggplant without charring.Then, try out one of these simple grilled recipes:

Basic Grilled Eggplant

Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Pesto and Mozzarella

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

Spaghetti with Grilled Eggplant, Tomato and Onion

To learn more cooking basics, for eggplant as well as all other fresh produce, subscribe to Fine Cooking magazine.

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Name: Oven-Roasted Eggplant
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: not set
Ingredients: 2 lb. eggplant (about 2 globe or 4 Italian); Kosher salt; 2 to 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; 8 fresh thyme sprigs; Lemon wedges or a vinaigrette for serving (optiona

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INGREDIENTS

2 lb. eggplant (about 2 globe or 4 Italian)
Kosher salt
2 to 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
8 fresh thyme sprigs
Lemon wedges or a vinaigrette for serving (optiona

Servings

INSTRUCTIONS

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NOTES

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Oven-Roasted Eggplant

2 lb. eggplant (about 2 globe or 4 Italian) 
  Kosher salt 
2 to 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 
8 fresh thyme sprigs 
  Lemon wedges or a vinaigrette for serving (optiona

Tip:

Salt first for less oily eggplant. Eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge, but you can reduce its ability to absorb oil by salting the cut flesh and letting it sit for 30 min. or more. Then drain, pat dry, and proceed with cooking.

Wipe the eggplant clean and slice them in half lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern by making two or three long cuts, cutting at a steep angle, and then rotating the eggplant to make another set of similar cuts. Press on the edges of the halves to open the cuts and sprinkle salt (1 to 1-1/2 tsp. total for all the halves) over the surface and into the cuts. Set aside, cut side up, for 30 min. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Over the sink, gently squeeze the eggplant to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half thoroughly with olive oil (about 1 tsp. per half for Italian eggplant, 2 tsp. per half for globe). Arrange each half, cut side down, on top of a sprig or two of thyme on the baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour. The eggplant will collapse and the bottoms will be a deep brown caramel color. Let cool considerably before handling, at least 20 min. Gently turn the cut side up. If serving as a side dish, serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing or drizzle with vinaigrette. If using in other recipes, scoop the flesh from the skin with a spoon.

nutrition information (per serving):

Size

based on two servings;

Calories

(kcal):

220;

Fat

(g):

fat g

14;

Fat Calories

(kcal):

130;

Saturated Fat

(g):

sat fat g

Protein

(g):

protein g

Monounsaturated Fat

(g):

10;

Carbohydrates

(g):

carbs g

23;

Polyunsaturated Fat

(g):

Sodium

(mg):

sodium mg

970;

Cholesterol

(mg):

cholesterol mg

Fiber

(g):

fiber g

Photo: Scott Phillips

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Nutrition

View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.


Serving Size: 1 Serving (466g)
Recipe Makes: 2 Servings

Calories: 12
Calories from Fat: 2 (17%)

Amt Per Serving		% DV

	Total Fat 0.2g	0 %
	Saturated Fat 0.1g	0 %
	Monounsaturated Fat 0g
	Polyunsanturated Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 0mg		0 %
Sodium 76.7mg		3 %
Potassium 73.1mg		2 %
Total Carbohydrate 2.9g		1 %
	Dietary Fiber 1.7g	7 %
	Sugars, other 1.3g
Protein 0.7g		1 %
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition.

About Our Nutrition Facts

Calories per serving: 12

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