What can I make with eggplant?
Eggplant turn into dinner faster than almost anything else in the fridge. These recipes use eggplant, and the method notes below cover the three techniques that cover almost every situation.
12 recipes with eggplant
Thai Green Curry
Coconut-rich green curry with chicken, bamboo shoots, and Thai basil.
Thai30m4Baba Ganoush
Smoky roasted eggplant dip with tahini and lemon.
Middle Eastern35m4
Ratatouille
Provencal stew of summer vegetables in tomato.
French60m6
Stovetop Eggplant With Harissa, Chickpeas, and Cumin Yogurt
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering.
United States4
Aubergine couscous salad
step 1 Heat grill to high.
Turkish4
Sichuan Eggplant
This recipe calls for asian eggplants, or Japanese eggplants.
Chinese4
Baingan Bharta
Rinse the baingan (eggplant or aubergine) in water.
India4
Roasted Eggplant With Tahini, Pine Nuts, and Lentils
For the Lentils: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F to prepare for roasting eggplant.
United States4
Roast aubergine with goat's cheese & toasted flatbread
step 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Turkish4
Moussaka
Heat the grill to high.
Greek4
Imam bayildi with BBQ lamb & tzatziki
step 1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
Turkish4
Grilled eggplant with coconut milk
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Filipino4
eggplant: the three methods worth knowing
- 1Soft scramble: low heat, constant stirring, off the heat while still glossy.
- 2Jammy boiled: 7 minutes in already-boiling water, then straight into ice water for 2 minutes so the shell slips off.
- 3Fried with crisp edges: hot pan, generous fat, spoon the fat over the white until set.
- 4In every method, salt at the end for a cleaner set and a softer texture.
What goes well with eggplant
Eggplant is at its best with butter, cheese, spinach, scallion, toast and black pepper. Any two or three of those, plus eggplant, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing eggplant
Store eggplant sealed and cool, and use the oldest stock first. If it is close to turning, cook it rather than throwing it out - roasting, soup, and a quick sauce all forgive slightly past-peak ingredients.
Substituting eggplant
If you are out of eggplant, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Eggplant recipes: common questions
- What can I make with eggplant and not much else?
- Plenty. With eggplant plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest eggplant recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute eggplant?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover eggplant?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover eggplant without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.