Late summer belongs to the eggplant! This warm-weather vegetable is at its seasonal best from midsummer into early fall, and is usually easier to find at a good price around this time, too! I know eggplant can feel a little tricky if you don’t cook with it often, but I’m a veggie gal through and through, and I never run out of ways to put it to work. Roast it until tender, mash it into a smoky curry, bread it until crisp, cover it with sauce and cheese, or arrange it in colorful layers. Not sure where to begin? These 12 eggplant recipes will help you make the most of every one you bring home!
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All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
Easy Ratatouille Recipes
Ratatouille might sound fancy, but at heart, it’s a practical way to turn a pile of summer vegetables into something delicious. This rustic dish comes from Provence in southern France and traditionally brings eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and other seasonal produce together until tender. These two recipes take that familiar vegetable medley in less traditional but very practical directions for everyday cooking!
1. Homemade Ratatouille
Ratatouille Recipe
Our homemade ratatouille takes a different route from the traditional chunky vegetable stew. Thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes are layered over marinara, similar to a vegetable tian, then baked until tender and topped with melted cheese. It looks impressive, but all you really need to do is slice, layer, and bake before serving it with bread, polenta, rice, or whatever else you fancy for dinner.
2. Ratatouille Frittata
Ratatouille Frittata
Ratatouille already brings together some of summer’s best vegetables, and this ratatouille frittata bundles eggplant, zucchini, onion, and tomatoes into one filling dish. Eggs are also one of the more affordable protein options again (thankfully!), and this recipe stretches six eggs into eight generous slices. I’ll happily serve this one for breakfast, brunch, lunch, OR dinner!
Budget-Friendly Mains Featuring Eggplant
This is where eggplant really earns its place in my grocery cart. Its hearty texture makes it easy to build a filling dinner around inexpensive staples like rice, pasta sauce, cheese, and pantry spices. One recipe even pairs two whole eggplants with only ½ lb. ground beef to make four servings! Here are some of our favorite dinners using eggplant.
3. Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan
This eggplant Parmesan is comfort in a casserole dish for me! This recipe skips frying the eggplant, and bakes it instead…which means less oil, mess, and hands-on work! Once the breaded slices are golden and crisp, layer them with marinara and plenty of cheese, then bake again until everything is bubbly and gooey. YUM.
4. Eggplant Curry
Eggplant Curry
My eggplant curry is a budget-friendly take on the baingan bharta I order from my favorite Indian restaurant. Roasted eggplant and tomatoes are mashed into onion, garlic, ginger, red curry paste, and aromatic pantry spices for a thick, smoky curry that tastes even better the next day. You can roast the vegetables ahead, and the finished curry freezes beautifully! Top tip: If you need this dish to stay vegetarian or vegan, check that your curry paste doesn’t contain shrimp paste!
5. Soy Glazed Eggplant Stir Fry
Soy Glazed Eggplant
Our soy glazed eggplant turns one eggplant and a few pantry staples into a sweet, salty, garlicky stir-fry in only 20 minutes. We use fresh ginger because it gives the glaze a much brighter flavor than dried ginger (I recommend storing the remaining ginger in the freezer so none goes to waste!) Serve it over rice with peanuts and green onions, then add broccoli or snow peas if you want to make the meal go even further!
6. Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce
Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce
Two eggplants help a modest ½ lb. of ground beef go much further in our roasted eggplant with meat sauce. The eggplant halves roast cut-side down, which traps the steam and leaves the centers soft and creamy beneath all that rich tomato sauce. For a vegetarian version, finely chopped mushrooms make a great replacement (I’d cook them until the liquid evaporates and they begin to brown for the best flavor!).
7. Summer Vegetables in Red Sauce
Summer Vegetables in Red Sauce
Got a crowded crisper drawer? I’d call that the perfect excuse to make our summer vegetables in red sauce! We add the eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini in stages so each one becomes tender without anything turning mushy. Spoon it over budget-friendly Parmesan polenta, pasta, mashed potatoes, or sturdy toast for an easy dinner starring eggplant!
Pasta Night, Two Ways
Eggplant pastas can be rich and cozy or fresh and summery, and I’ve got one of each here. Choose between a savory tomato-based pasta for dinner and a pesto pasta salad that’s perfect for cookouts and meal prep!
8. Pasta with Eggplant Sauce
Pasta with Eggplant Sauce
I’m all for getting every last bit of flavor out of what I’ve got, and smart flavor boosters are a great way to do it. In our pasta with eggplant sauce, that means adding a little anchovy paste. You only need 1 teaspoon to give the tomato sauce loads of savory depth, and don’t worry, it won’t make the pasta taste fishy! Cut the eggplant into small ½-inch cubes so it softens evenly and becomes silky in the sauce.
9. Ditalini Pasta Salad
Ditalini Pasta Salad
Those tiny pasta tubes make this ditalini pasta salad especially easy to scoop at cookouts! Roasted eggplant is tossed with zucchini, bell pepper, pesto, and salty feta for a colorful and incredibly delicious summer side. I always make this one ahead because the flavors only get better after a brief chill. Use store-bought pesto for convenience or homemade pesto to keep the cost down!
Easy Eggplant Appetizers and Lunch Ideas
Eggplant isn’t only for casseroles, curries, and pasta sauce. I’ll blend it into a creamy dip, pile it onto a cheesy toasted roll, or roast it with lemon and garlic for filling pita pockets. These easy eggplant recipes cover everything from party snacks to simple lunches and dinners.
10. Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush
I’m usually the first to reach for hummus at the snack table, but when baba ganoush is in the mix, I can’t resist its creamy, garlicky, lemony flavor! Whole eggplants and garlic roast together before being blended with tahini, lemon, paprika, and salt. Let the eggplant roast until its skin is wrinkled and the center is completely soft as that’s how you know it’s ready to scoop!
11. Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches
Eggplant Mozzarella Sandwiches
When a cold veggie sandwich won’t do, these eggplant mozzarella sandwiches pile saucy sautéed eggplant and melty mozzarella onto garlic-butter toasted rolls. Fresh mozzarella gives you the dreamiest melt, but shredded full-fat mozzarella works when it’s the better buy. I’d only assemble what you plan to eat and refrigerate the remaining filling separately to avoid soggy sandwiches.
12. Oven Roasted Greek Stuffed Pitas
Oven Roasted Greek Stuffed Pitas
Most of the work for these oven roasted Greek stuffed pitas happens in the oven, where chicken, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and red onion roast in a lemon-garlic marinade. Finish the roasted filling with salty feta and fresh parsley, then stuff it into warm pita pockets. It also stores well for easy make-ahead lunches!
