Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Eggplant Recipes 24 Delicious Eggplant Recipes You Can Enjoy All Year Long Whether you like to grill, roast, broil or bake this favorite purple vegetable, we've got the dishes you'll enjoy. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 13, 2022 Close Photo: Marcus Nilsson With its endless possibilities for preparation and gorgeous aubergine hue, eggplant is one of our favorite produce items. Technically, it's a fruit, but it's generally treated like a vegetable, and it comes in a range of shapes, sizes, and colors. It's also versatile: Try it grilled, roasted whole, or as part of a vegetable stew. Eggplant makes a great sandwich filling or pasta sauce—and it can even be made into meatballs and more. Before we share our favorite eggplant recipes, it's important to know how to identify a good one at the market: The flesh should give a bit when it is gently pressed; there should be no hard spots (avoid produce with brown or soft spots). The skin should be shiny and smooth (not wrinkled or mottled) and stems should be green. A whole eggplant will keep up to a few days in a cool place, but don't store it in the refrigerator—this will damage its texture. 01 of 24 Crispy Lemon-Parmesan Eggplant Chris Simpson Our irresistible riff on eggplant parm calls for broiling long slices of eggplant and topping them with a zesty panko mixture. It's quick to make and easy to love. View Recipe 02 of 24 Eggplant Provoleta with Crispy Potato Wedges Yuki Sugiura This hearty vegetarian main dish is built around grilled eggplant slices topped with provoleta, a provolone-type cheese that's served browned and bubbling. There are also grilled tomatoes brushed with a spicy chimichurri sauce and grilled potatoes—and plenty more sauce for serving. View Recipe 03 of 24 Spaghetti and Eggplant "Meatballs" Chris Simpson Our vegetarian-spin on meatballs is packed with familiar flavor agents, such as cheese, garlic, and oregano. A blend of eggplant and white beans replace the beef and are bound together with breadcrumbs and egg. View Recipe 04 of 24 Whole Grilled Eggplant with Rice Pilaf Christopher Testani This dish has a few moving parts, but it takes less than an hour to prepare. It starts with roasting a whole eggplant on the grill until the skin is lightly charred. While it cooks, prepare the three-ingredient tahini sauce that's mixed in with the eggplant before it's served over a bed of pistachio-scented pilaf. View Recipe 05 of 24 Ravioli with Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Capers Kate Sears Roasted eggplant is combined with cherry tomatoes, shallots, and capers and tossed with store-bought cheese ravioli for an easy weeknight vegetarian dinner. View Recipe 06 of 24 Roasted Eggplant Sandwich with Soy-Lime Glaze Con Poulos If you've been searching for the perfect vegetarian sandwich, look no further. Eggplant slices are brushed with a glaze of soy sauce, lime, rice vinegar, and garlic, then roasted until tender and creamy. Don't forget the quick-pickled carrot, radishes, and cucumber that adds a tangy crunch. View Recipe 07 of 24 Eggplant Roti Pachadi Gentl + Hyers This version of vegetable chutney—a popular dish in South India—mixes cooked eggplant with tamarind paste, cilantro, sugar, and toasted spices in a mortar and pestle (or food processor) until well combined. View Recipe 08 of 24 Eggplant Involtini with Fresh Tomato Sauce Marcus Nilsson Sweet, roasted, and nutty, this one-pan dinner is sure to delight. Flame-kissed, tender slices of eggplant are stuffed and rolled with three cheeses (fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and feta), currants, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs, then baked in a fresh tomato sauce. View Recipe 09 of 24 Tomato-Eggplant Gnocchi Ren Fuller For a quick, hearty, and meat-free meal, try this recipe that starts with store-bought gnocchi. Sautéed, diced eggplant is combined with ricotta, fresh diced tomatoes, and basil. It's a combination you'll want to enjoy on the regular. View Recipe 10 of 24 Mushroom-Eggplant Lasagna Bryan Gardner Meaty mushrooms and eggplant make a perfect filling for vegetarian lasagna. View Recipe 11 of 24 Grilled-Eggplant Parmesan Sidney Bensimon Here's a lighter, low-carb version of eggplant parmesan. Instead of breading and frying the slices, they are grilled. Top with mozzarella, return to the grill until the cheese melts, and then top with a tomato-shallot mixture, basil, and drizzle with good-quality olive oil. View Recipe 12 of 24 Eggplant and Roasted-Pepper Pasta Christopher Testani Yes, the charred roasted red peppers are delicious, and yes, the campanelle-shaped pasta is a unique choice, but the real star of the show is sweet sautéed eggplant. Make this dish for a summer potluck and watch as it disappears quickly. View Recipe 13 of 24 Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes Jake Stangel This dip has it all: The fruitiness of good-quality olive oil, mild shallots, fragrant mint, sour lime juice, spicy hot chile peppers, and meaty eggplant. Serve it as an appetizer or main course—either way, it will be an instant favorite. View Recipe 14 of 24 Spiced Eggplant Stacks Bryan Gardner These layered eggplant and tomato stacks are sure to win your crowd over. We love them served alongside warm pita bread or as an appetizer, but they also win as a vegetable side dish alongside grilled meat. View Recipe 15 of 24 Eggplant Meatball Casserole Mike Krautter You've heard of vegetarian lasagnas, but have you ever heard of vegetarian meatballs? Tender puréed eggplant, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and an egg white are whirred together to create a paste, then rolled into large balls and pan-fried. View Recipe 16 of 24 Blistered Eggplant with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta Bryan Gardner The only cooking required for this plant-based main is broiling the eggplant until it becomes juicy and crispy. The rounds are then topped with cherry tomatoes, olives, parsley, feta, and a rich olive oil. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the juices. View Recipe 17 of 24 Skillet Pizza with Eggplant and Greens Anna Williams Roasted eggplant might not seem the most obvious topping for pizza, but you really should give this recipe a try. It starts with homemade or storebought pizza dough; add a quick tomato-onion sauce, Swiss chard, roasted eggplant, and melty provolone cheese. View Recipe 18 of 24 Indian Eggplant (Bharta) Mike Krautter This dish starts with an unconventional technique—roasting a whole eggplant directly over a gas stove. Then, a paste is made with onions, ginger, and garlic and sautéed with a diced chile pepper, cumin seeds, diced tomatoes, turmeric, and eggplant. Serve over rice for a flavorful entrée. View Recipe 19 of 24 Soba Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Marcus Nilsson Refreshing and healthy, this charred, vegetable-based soba noodle salad makes a delicious lunch or side dish—it's also vegan. View Recipe 20 of 24 Eggplant, Pistachio, and Pomegranate Pizza Roland Bello Here's another not-so-traditional take on pizza, and this one is quick to put together. With deep-purple eggplant, green pistachios, and bright red pomegranate seeds, it's also a vibrant, but harmonious mix of colors, textures, and flavors. View Recipe 21 of 24 Eggplants Stuffed with Lamb, Rice, and Currants Johnny Miller When you're craving healthy comfort food, make this stuffed eggplant dish. The delicate flavor of ground lamb is a hearty complement to brown rice, fresh mint, and parsley in the filling. View Recipe 22 of 24 Grilled Eggplant with Tomatoes, Basil, and Feta Ryan Liebe This is a stunning summer dish that's a little like a caprese salad—but with eggplant and feta standing in for the usual mozzarella. Large slices of eggplant are grilled, then topped with a combination of cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, and basil. View Recipe 23 of 24 Traditional Eggplant Parmigiana What would a list of eggplant recipes be without this Italian classic? There are layers of red sauce, meaty fried eggplant, and melted cheese in every bite. View Recipe 24 of 24 Calamarata with Roasted Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Olives Johnny Miller No, those aren't rings of calamari. Calamarata is a type of pasta that just so happens to resemble the squid. Here, it's tossed with a variety of colorful vegetables, including eggplant and cherry tomatoes, as well as sweet Italian sausage. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit