There's so much flavor in this roasted eggplant! Seasoned with garlic and cooked in ghee, it's meaty and flavorful. It works well as a side dish but is substantial enough to be served as a meatless main course.
Eggplants are marvelous. I love their tender, creamy texture and intense flavor, and this roasted eggplant recipe perfectly highlights that flavor (so does this grilled eggplant, by the way). Salting the eggplant to draw water out and pan-frying it before placing it in the oven prevents sogginess and concentrates its unique flavor. This is one of my simplest eggplant recipes and one of the best.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Eggplant: I use a large eggplant in this recipe.
- Kosher salt: Used to draw water out of the eggplant before baking it.
- Ghee: Used for pan-frying the eggplant before roasting it. Ghee is clarified butter, simmered to separate the milk solids and water from the fat. It has a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-heat cooking. You can use another type of fat suitable for high-heat cooking, such as avocado oil, refined coconut oil, and refined olive oil.
- To season: Black pepper and garlic powder.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Halve the eggplant lengthwise. Make shallow cuts in a crosshatch pattern on the flesh side. Sprinkle the eggplant halves with kosher salt and let them rest for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the eggplant will have visible water droplets on its surface. Pat it dry using paper towels
Cook the eggplant in ghee for about 5 minutes until the bottom is browned. Turn the heat off, flip the eggplant, and season it.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Roast the eggplant for 25-30 minutes until tender. Serve immediately.
That was the best eggplant recipe I have ever had. I followed the directions almost exactly, I use olive oil, not ghee. And I added mozzarella cheese for the last few minutes of baking. I liked that it was cooked at a very high temperature, in the same pan it was fried in, I think that makes a difference. It was completely cooked and that works for me with eggplant. I did not eat the skin, but I liked that it was cooked in the skin.
Diane Schroeder
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Recipe Tips
- If the pan becomes too hot when you cook the eggplant, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add more ghee if the pan becomes too dry. Eggplant has a spongy texture that absorbs oil rapidly. Salting it helps, but it's still possible that you would need to add an extra tablespoon of ghee to the pan.
- It might be tempting to skip salting the eggplant, but please don't. This step is crucial to the success of this recipe.
- The same goes for pan-frying the eggplant before roasting it. While not as important as salting, it dramatically improves the outcome.
- There's no need to season the eggplant with additional salt after the initial salting.
Recipe FAQs
The salt draws water out, and the crosshatch pattern helps the salt penetrate the eggplant. This process eliminates excess water, prevents sogginess, and helps the eggplant brown and caramelize.
There's no need to peel it. The peel of a mature eggplant can be slightly bitter, but salting and roasting it removes that bitterness.
Salting the eggplant and roasting it at a high temperature helps mitigate any bitterness.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy them cold, like antipasti, or reheat them covered in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
I typically serve roasted eggplant as a side dish. Since I cook it in a 450°F oven, I like to serve it with a main dish I can cook in the same oven, such as:
- Roasted turkey legs
- Cajun chicken
- Roasted pork tenderloin
- Roasted turkey breast
- Baked chicken breast
- Blackened chicken
- Bacon-wrapped chicken breast
- Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin
As mentioned above, eggplant is substantial and meaty enough to be served as a main course. You can create an eggplant sandwich with almond flour bread. Condiments that go well with eggplant are sriracha mayo, tahini sauce, and tzatziki.
Recipe Card
Deliciously Caramelized Roasted Eggplant
Video
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant - Large, unpeeled, ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Halve the eggplant lengthwise and then slice a thin strip off the rounded edges in the same direction to create flat eggplant halves.
- Make shallow cuts in a crosshatch pattern on the flesh side. Sprinkle the eggplants with 1 teaspoon of salt and let them rest for 30 minutes. The salt draws water out, and the crosshatch pattern helps the salt penetrate the eggplant.
- After 30 minutes, the eggplant will have visible water droplets on its surface. Pat it dry using paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Heat the ghee over medium-high heat in a large, 12-inch, oven-safe skillet. I use a cast-iron skillet.
- Place the two eggplant halves in the skillet, flesh side down. Cook the eggplant for about 5 minutes until the bottom is browned. If the pan becomes too hot, reduce the heat to medium. Add more ghee if the pan becomes too dry.
- Turn the heat off. Flip the eggplant. Sprinkle it with black pepper and garlic powder.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Roast the eggplant for 25-30 minutes until tender.
- Serve immediately. Look at this beauty!
Notes
- It might be tempting to skip salting the eggplant, but please don't. This step is crucial to the success of this recipe.
- The same goes for pan-frying the eggplant before roasting it. While not as important as salting, it dramatically improves the outcome.
- There's no need to peel the eggplant before roasting. The peel of a mature eggplant can be slightly bitter, but salting and roasting it removes that bitterness.
- There's no need to season the eggplant with additional salt after the initial step of salting.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy them cold, like antipasti, or reheat them covered in the microwave.
- When calculating the nutrition info, I assumed that half the salt would remain in the dish.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Diane Schroeder says
That was the best eggplant recipe I have ever had. I followed the directions almost exactly, I use olive oil, not ghee. And I added mozzarella cheese for the last few minutes of baking. I liked that it was cooked at a very high temperature, in the same pan it was fried in, I think that makes a difference. It was completely cooked and that works for me with eggplant. I did not eat the skin, but I liked that it was cooked in the skin.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Diane! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the detailed review. I appreciate it. I agree that eggplant needs to be thoroughly cooked to taste good.
Pattie says
I haven't tried this yet, but I usually just cut in large cubes, toss in a baggie with a little olive oil and salt, then on parchment covered cookie sheet, 425 or 400 for 15-25 minutes. Perfect and easy.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Sounds amazing, Pattie! Thanks for sharing your method.
Elizabeth says
Loved this!! So easy to make.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Elizabeth! Thanks for the feedback.
Grace says
This was so flavorful, and easier to make than I thought it would be. Definitely worth the extra steps.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Grace! Thanks for taking the time to review it.
Nally says
Delicious! Easy recipe. Thank you, Vered!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Nally! Glad you liked it.