What to do with eggplant

annwyatt69
annwyatt69 Posts: 727 Member
I have never had eggplant before and my son bought one today. I was thinking maybe eggplant parmigiana might be a decent meal. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to fix it? I do have three sons who I have to please with whatever I cook. They really have no problem with healthy choices, but they definitely want food that tastes good.

Replies

  • I make eggplant chips. I wash it and then cut it in rounds on the think side. I put it on release foil and sprinkle it with balsamic vinegar and a very little ol and cook it at 350 to 400 till it brown and then flip it.. Usually about 20 minutes will its done and it makes a great low calorie snack. Hope that helps.
  • Linderov
    Linderov Posts: 1 Member
    I have a ratatouille recipe that is basically like a vegetable stew. You have to peel and chop the eggplant into 1/2" cubes so its fairly innocuous. Recipe calls for cheese as well, so my 8 year old actually likes it.
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    Slice eggplant (peel if you want), salt both sides generously and allow to sit for about 10 minutes, Rinse.
    Spray with olive oil, grill on outdoor grill or griddle.

    In a baking dish layer eggplant, add favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce, sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

    You can add in meat or other veggies to sauce if you'd like. Serve with side salad.
  • VRoseDuda
    VRoseDuda Posts: 129 Member
    We use panko breadcrumbs and bake it. Put it on top of angelhair pasta and a little mozzarella...yummy
  • Dbashara
    Dbashara Posts: 2 Member
    Cut it into cubes & mix with squash and other veggies cut about the same size. Toss with olive oil, salt and herbs. Roast in the ovenat 350 for 20 -30 minutes. Excellent side dish.
  • annwyatt69
    annwyatt69 Posts: 727 Member
    Thanks so much for all the replies! I will definitely be trying out some of these ideas!
  • Roast it then spoon out the flesh into a bowl, add onions & garlic also roasted, olive oil, lemon juice,salt and pepper and diced tomatoes. Mash and fold so that it becomes a dip. Serve with crackers, pita etc. Some have subtituted mayonnaise for oilive oil and lemon juice.
  • I make a lasagna out of eggplant and it's awesome! If you can add in some low fat ground turkey or low fat ground beef, it's even more filling...

    1) Peel eggplant, then cut round 1/4" thick pieces. Soak eggplant in salted water for 40 mins...

    2) Meanwhile, brown ground turkey or beef in a skillet.

    3) Mix 2 cups ricotta (part skim) with 1 egg and italian spices (can also add some parmesan cheese to mix)

    4) After eggplant soaks, drain and pat dry pieces with paper towel

    5) Layer in pan with spaghetti sauce like a lasagna.... 1 layer eggplant, then ricotta, then browned meat, then another layer of eggplant and sauce on top. You can sprinkle some low-fat mozeralla on top.

    I typed this off the top of my head. Sorry i don't have an exact ingredients list. But if you know how to make lasagna, it's the same thing but with eggplant instead of noodles.
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    My mother makes an eggplant spread. Bake the eggplants whole (i suggest buying medium sized ones), you can do this in the oven or on the barbecue. Let it cool for a bit so that you don't burn your hands and then peel them.
    Put them in a bowl and use a mixer until smooth. Add salt, pepper, any spices you like really. I like adding some chopped onions and a little bit of mayo.. I just spread this on bread, but you can have it with chips, crackers, veggies,whatever you want.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    ROASTED PEPPER AND EGGPLANT MARINARA

    INGREDIENTS

    2 large red bell peppers
    1 large Fresno chili pepper or Holland chili pepper
    1 large head garlic
    1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
    1 medium-large firm eggplant
    Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for dressing garlic and brushing eggplant
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 cups chicken stock
    1 can Italian tomatoes (28 ounces)
    2 fresh basil leaves, torn
    1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves picked and finely chopped
    1 pound long fusilli pasta
    Grated Pecorino cheese
    A palmful of flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
    Serves 4
    PREPARATION

    Char the skins of the sweet and hot peppers to black under a broiler with the oven door slightly ajar, to prevent steam build-up, or place directly over a stovetop flame. Cover the charred peppers and cool, peel and seed. Reserve.

    Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

    Cut the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Dress the garlic in EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Press the garlic into the chopped rosemary and coat the cut cloves. Wrap the garlic up in foil and roast for 40-45 minutes, until it is soft but still moist.

    Halve the eggplant lengthwise and brush with EVOO. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper and place it cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast until very tender, 30-40 minutes. Cool the eggplant until it's easy to handle, then scoop the flesh away from the skins. Add the eggplant to a food processor with the roasted garlic and roasted sweet and hot peppers, then puree.

    In saucepan, heat the stock and tomatoes. If the tomatoes are whole, break them up. Stir in the eggplant-pepper mixture and add the basil, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste.

    Simmer the sauce to combine the flavors, then cool and store for make-ahead meal.

    Reheat over medium heat.

    Boil the pasta in salted water to al dente. Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve with cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

    also great for a meatless Monday or veg. meal
  • Lizi19
    Lizi19 Posts: 180 Member
    I tried to make eggplant parmigiana and everything tasted awesome... except for the eggplant. I think I just don't like the taste of eggplant, or maybe I cooked it incorrectly.

    Anyway, I heard eggplant ratatouille is a good option.
  • idream2bgwen
    idream2bgwen Posts: 424 Member
    Thanks guys. I am trying to venture out on my eggplant recipes. These sound awesome...especially the spread! YUM! Thank you. :bigsmile:
  • djc315
    djc315 Posts: 585 Member
    I suggest peeling it if you are new to eggplant. I am not a fan of the skin, but it is completely edible.

    I typically slice it and bake it in the oven. I always preheat the oven WITH the pan in the oven and a little bit of olive oil, that way everything is nice and hot for the eggplant. Eggplant is like a sponge and will soak up oil.

    I love eggplant, green and red peppers, with mozz cheese and balsamic vinegar. Either on a nice roll, or just on its own.
  • Peel it and cut it into strips (can cut into two pieces) and along with other vegetables (peppers, onions, squash, cauliflower etc. peeled and cut into chunks) mix some olive oil with whatever spices you like and pour over veggies. It doesn't require a lot of oil since you mix the veggies until they are coated. Place in shallow pan and roast in a 375 - 400 degree oven. As they begin to brown, you can turn them over and finish roasting them. It's one of our favorite vegetable dishes and SO easy to fix as well as SO tasty!
  • scubagirl319
    scubagirl319 Posts: 115 Member
    bump
  • missjeanlouise
    missjeanlouise Posts: 80 Member
    I tried to make eggplant parmigiana and everything tasted awesome... except for the eggplant. I think I just don't like the taste of eggplant, or maybe I cooked it incorrectly.

    Anyway, I heard eggplant ratatouille is a good option.

    Are you salting it first? I peel and slice my eggplant into 1/2" slices, lay them on a rack (like the ones you cool baked goods on) and put that in the sink. Cover the slices librally with kosher salt and let sit for 30 minutes. This sweats out bitter juices. Rinse, dry and use however you want. You can also do this without peeling them first if you prefer to keep the peel on.

    My ratatouille recipe (such as it is---I just kind of go by feel and taste) is:
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 onion, minced
    1 red bell pepper, minced (or use a combination of bell peppers to =1)
    2 stalks celery, minced
    1 medium carrot, minced
    1 eggplant, peeled, salted and cut into 1/2" cubes
    1 medium zucchini, split in half lengthwise, then sliced into half moons
    1 summer squash, split in half lengthwise, then sliced into half moons
    1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes (with any herbs and spices if you like)
    1 cup sliced mushrooms

    Use whatever kind of oil, cooking spray, whatever you like to coat the bottom of a lange nonstick pot or dutch oven. Heat the oil on medium heat until hot, then add garlic, onion, diced peppers, celery and carrot. Saute until vegetables are soft, about 5-8 minutes, adding salt, pepper, oregano, thyme halfway through (I just do some generous shakes of the spice bottle. Herbes de Provence is also nice in this).

    Once aromatics are soft, add cubes of eggplant and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This gives the eggplant a head start on cooking. When the eggplant starts to soften, add the canned tomatoes and the 2 types of squash. Stir well and turn up the heat to medium-high. This will allow the vegetables to give off some cooking liquid. If it looks way too dry, feel free to add another half can of tomatoes. (This may be necessary if your eggplant and squashes are on the large side).

    When the liquid in the pot gets to almost-boiling, turn down the heat to medium and simmer for a while, stirring occasionally. I usually let it simmer for about 30 minutes, checking the vegetables for doneness. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. At this point you can add crushed red pepper, if desired.

    It's a very forgiving recipe. If the yellow squash looks manky, I double the zucchini. I do like using red bell peppers for the color and slightly sweeter taste, but green will do if necessary.

    Accoring to the recipe calculator here, it's very low in calories and high in fiber. Adding some greated parmesean is nice, and sometimes I add cubes of fresh mozzerella. The cheese melts into the dish nicely. This also freezes very well. I get about 6-8 portions out of the recipe above, and I freeze them in 2-cup food containers so I can just grab one in the morning and take it to work.
  • Bbwnomore2
    Bbwnomore2 Posts: 225 Member
    i am gonna bump this later, had a "fried" eggplant parm reciepe that had slices that i spread with FF mayo then put in bread crumbs and baked, was pretty good.
  • marinate sliced eggplant in fat free low cal Italian dressing and grill! Yum!
  • NewTnme
    NewTnme Posts: 258 Member
    I slice mines with skin then marinade in fat free balsamic vinegerette for about 15-20 mins and grill on the griddle.
    Soooo yummy:smile: