Oven Roasted Eggplant

Cooking eggplant is quite easy and works in a million different ways: grilled eggplant, crispy baked eggplant, stir-fried eggplant, and stuffed eggplant, to name a few. (You just want to know what mistakes to avoid when cooking it!)

But whenever fall rolls around I find myself consumed by an abiding drive to roast things, and oven roasted eggplant is one of the best and easiest things to do.

• Globe eggplant: You’ll need 2 medium eggplants or 1 large eggplant. If you’re using 1 large globe eggplant, it may be necessary to salt it before roasting. After scoring the eggplant, simply sprinkle it liberally with kosher salt and let stand for 30 to 60 minutes. Then rinse off the salt, give it a firm squeeze to get rid of any excess juices, and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Japanese eggplant: If you’re using a long, skinny, Japanese eggplant, it is not necessary to score or salt it. Just cut it in half and pop it in the oven.

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Prepare the eggplant. Cut diagonal lines going about an inch apart, then turn the eggplant around and cut again showing a diamond pattern.
• Brush the eggplant flesh with olive oil. Put it face-down on a baking sheet.
• Roast the eggplant for 35-40 minutes. The eggplant skin will look collapsed and puckered.
• Let the eggplant cool for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Oven roasted eggplant is a delicious side dish with roasted chicken, seared steak, or alongside a hearty pasta. Here are few other ideas on how to serve it:

• Baba Ghanoush: Scoop out the eggplant and make this smooth and creamy dip.
• Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan: A spin on classic eggplant Parmesan, stuffed into a hollowed-out eggplant shell and topped with melted mozzarella.
• Roasted Eggplant Sabich Bowl: A hummus bowl topped with roasted eggplant, tomato-cucumber salad, tahini sauce, and jammy eggs.
• Eggplant Parm Pesto: Roasted eggplant is blended with a garlic-oregano-and-tomato paste olive oil, then blitzed with fresh basil and lots of Parmesan.