Oven roasted eggplant with garlic and a refreshing yogurt dip. Is there anything better than garlicky roasted eggplant in the summer? I personally love eggplant and it’s one of my favorite vegetables. Beautifully caramelized, sweet, and so easy to make.
This recipe can be used for spreads, or enjoyed on its own with refreshing yogurt dips. It is perfect to make on the grill or in the oven which is my preferred method. I hope you give this dish a try and let me know what you think in the comments or how you made it differently.
Roasted Eggplant
This grilled eggplant can be used for spreads, or enjoyed on its own with refreshing yogurt dips. It is perfect to make on the grill or in the oven which is my preferred method.
Ingredients
The Eggplant:
- 3 small eggplants cut in half mine were palm size
- drizzle of olive oil for the eggplant + sprinkle of salt on each one
The Garlic Oil:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 minced garlic cloves depending on how garlicky you like it
- 2 basil leaves ripped, finely chopped, or sliced
The Yogurt Dip:
- ½ cup plain yogurt any you like
- salt to taste
- tablespoon of lemon juice or to taste
- teaspoon of olive oil
- tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or 1/2 a teaspoon of dry dill weed
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the eggplant. Take a knife and cut each one in half. Take each half off the eggplant, place it horizontally facing you, and score the inside of the eggplant making lengthwise cuts all the way to the end, followed by diagonal cuts with a knife. You should have a diamond or a square pattern.
- Line a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and oil it with a drizzle of olive oil. Drizzle on a bit more olive oil on the eggplant with a sprinkle of salt each one.
- Play them flat side down and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the bottoms are caramelized and the tops are soft. You should be able to insert a knife into the skin easily.
- Take it out of the oven and plate them. In a small bowl mix the oil, basil, and garlic. Brush on the garlic basil oil. In another a separate bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the yogurt sauce to serve on the side with and enjoy.
Video
Notes
You can grill the eggplant on the grill, but I prefer the oven. Make sure to use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and oil up the parchment paper a little bit so that the flesh of the eggplant becomes nice and caramelized without sticking.
Feel free to use this eggplant method to scoop out the inside and make into spreads as well.
You are more than welcome to use any creamy sauce but I personally feel like a yoghurt or sour cream based sauce pairs beautifully.
Take a look at my tzatziki recipe linked here as it will be incredibly delicious with this recipe as well.
Tried this recipe?Mention @themodernnonna or tag #themodernnonna!
26 Responses
I added some red onions to the tray along with the eggplant, and they caramelized alongside! Delicious. Thank you!
Great improv Jody!
Loveee the improv Jody ❤️
Delicious- bought small eggplants at the Mississauga Farmer’s Market on Sunday just to make this recipe.
Thanks for this comment Liz ❤️
Where do you find “palm sized” eggplants??
Any eggplant is fine. Mine were small though ( and fit in my palm ) any is okay though and I got mine at Longos here in Toronto
I just made this. Flavor is awesome but the eggplant is mushy. Did I cook it to long? I am not the best cook!!!!
It may be because there was too much oil or baked too long. I wish I could see
Nice recipe but don’t forget if your writing for an international audience temperatures should be in centigrade and ALL measurements, including fluids should be in grams.
lokking forward to trying this today !
Will do my best. At the moment I do this all alone so I will improve ❤️
Today was Modern Nonna day. I made Almond Milk…Delish and the Eggplant and Bruschetta…I love your recipes so simple and sooo yummmy
Thank you!
So so happy
Hi ! I saw the recipe on Instagram, I’ve juste made it, it was delicious. Thank you !
So glad Perrine ❤️
I didn’t see a place to rate this recipe, but 5 stars from me. This was super easy and delicious. I had medium to large eggplants and they took about 48 minutes at 400.
Hi beautiful, we fixed it and you should be able to now 🙂 thanks soooo much
Is this eaten cold or hot ? Looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it, thank you.
It’s honestly delicious either way
This was super delicious! I added some garlic cloves in the eggplant for an extra garlic flavour. In the sauce I also added parsley and mint. I used coconut yoghurt to make it a complete vegan meal. 🙂 Finally, served it on a bed of rice to make it more filling.
Highly recommend this recipe, the whole family loved it!
So glad you loved it Teo 🙂 Happy Friday!
Tastiest eggplant ever! I’ve already made this over 5x as my hubby always wants me to make it. I leave out the dip and because we love garlic and basil I put an abundance more (measuring with the ❤️). I do it as an appetizer and make my own crostini with a grilled or baked French bread stick. Adore this recipe!
DELICIOUS !!!!
🙂
This may sound crazy, but are we eating the skin as well?
The skin is totally edible!