Roasted eggplant with tomatoes and garlic has been a staple in my entire family. It’s a delicacy that is reserved for any time of day, but especially breakfast. If you love all things eggplant and you indulge or overindulge in eggplant parmesan, gratin or baba ghanoush, this one’s for you!
First you’ll have to pick the correct eggplant to roast or grill. Never choose the skinny, slender Japanese eggplant. This eggplant is perfect for other recipes , but definitely not the recipe shared today.
Eggplant is an excellent vegetable to prepare and include on your weekly menu. This is surprising, Not only is it delicious, it is high in antioxidants and can help control your blood sugar levels. Grilled or roasted eggplant is also a low caloric meal. Ideally, it’s perfect for aiding weight loss and improving your health.
Picking the perfect eggplant goes back to growing the perfect plant. I have tried to grow eggplants, but I find I’m more enthused at the prospect of traversing the farmers markets in my local area.
The turn around is quick and the eggplants are always picked fresh. Keep in mind that fresh produce are not only perishable, it is also supposed to perish faster than grocery store produce.
But long lasting produce begs the question, ‘What exactly is being used to preserve produce that lasts weeks?’ and what is it doing to our bodies? Read this article. It will shock you how long some fruits and vegetables are stored.
How To Choose The Perfect Eggplant
Choosing the perfect eggplant boils down to finding your local farmers market or grocery store (if you choose) and getting good at noticing, “Dull garish skin is a sign of poor storage or down right bad quality. Wrinkles are a sign that the eggplant is old and was harvested a long time ago, so pass over wrinkly skin in favor of taut, tight eggplants. It goes without saying that you “don’t want brown blemishes or soft spots!”
You’ve got to pick up the eggplant, notice any spots, feel for sagging skin and notice if the stem is firmly in place. The best eggplant to buy for this recipe is the black beauty eggplant.
Prepping For The Roasted/grilled Eggplant Recipe
Wash and dry your eggplant and one tomato (optional), set aside. Peel about 6 to 7 cloves of garlic. Adding garlic to this recipe will add depth of flavor and to top it off the garlic will also be roasted to perfection! You will find this interesting about garlic. Diced an onion and set aside and thinly chop a habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, if you dare. These peppers are very spicy, so if you can’t handle the heat, simply remove from the recipe.
For this recipe, you’ll need to gather olive oil to rub on the outside of the eggplant prior to cooking and aluminum foil to secure the eggplant and its juices as it cooks.
This is a hands off meal. Besides the occasional turn, you’ll not need to be actively involved in the process. Making it an easy meal to prepare for the entire family to enjoy.
You will leave the skin on and keep in mind that a little char never hurts any meal. The only seasoning you’ll need is salt to your liking and a touch of Goya’s all purpose seasoning.
Ingredients
-1 large eggplant (washed & dried)
-1 tsp. Olive oil (to rub on the outside of the whole eggplant)
-6-7 cloves of garlic🧄
-1 onion diced thinly
–Hot pepper 🌶 (optional)
-2-3 tbsp. Of cooking oil
-1 tomato (optional)🍅
-1 tbsp. Of salt or to as desired
-Sprinkle of Goya seasoning
Making the Eggplant 🍆
After washing & drying the eggplant, use a knife to make about 6 slits on the eggplant. Place one peeled garlic into each slit.
Rub the olive oil on the outside of the eggplant. Use a large piece of foil to wrap around it, being careful to cover the entire surface.
There are several options for cooking the vegetable. You can roast it in the oven, you can grill it on the stovetop or you can use a charcoal grill if you have one.
Grill on high heat for 20-25 minutes or roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. I personally prefer the stovetop as you can easily view the eggplant and turn accordingly. Turn the eggplant every 8 minutes or when you see the sides have become squished or flattened.
Remove from the heat. Carefully remove the foil, taking lots of caution since it will be very hot. Remove the skin of the eggplant with a fork and save the water from the eggplant. The juices of the eggplant will add loads of flavor to this meal.
The garlic should be completely roasted and easily mashed with the fork.
Add the onions, 2-3 tbsp. of oil, salt, pepper and Goya seasoning. Mash and mix throughly. Add the diced tomato. I prefer my tomato uncooked, but you can roast your tomato when you roast the eggplant. Wrap them separately though. Give it a final mix and enjoy with a flat bread, roti or naan.
