A mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic makes for a flavorful grilled eggplant. It's an easy recipe - mix the simple marinade, brush the eggplant, and grill.
Preheat a grill, a grill pan, or a dual-contact electric grill over medium-high heat.
Trim the eggplant's edges and slice it crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. You should get about 12 slices.
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Brush the eggplant slices with the mixture on both sides. Set aside any remaining marinade.
Grill the eggplant slices until golden brown and fork-tender, about 5 minutes on each side. In my dual-contact electric grill, I grill for 5 minutes on one side, then 2 minutes on the second side.
Brush the eggplant slices with the remaining marinade and serve.
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Notes
The peel of mature eggplants can be slightly bitter, but the marinade and grilling take care of that. Leaving the skin on is pretty! However, if you prefer, go ahead and peel the eggplant.
When making this recipe, you'll walk a fine line between having the eggplant turn out undercooked or overcooked and mushy. While ideally, you want it just right, it's better to err on the side of slightly overcooking it. Undercooked eggplant is bitter, while overcooked one is delicious, even if its texture is not ideal.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3-4 days. I don't reheat them. I enjoy them cold, like antipasti. But if you prefer to reheat the leftovers, do so gently in the microwave at 50% power.