Grilled vegetables are my go to side dish for any summer barbecue. They are incredibly easy to prepare, go with just about anything, and can be made in advance. While most people grill zucchini, peppers and onions, my absolute favourite vegetable to grill is eggplant.
Unfortunately grilled eggplant (or melanzane, aubergine or brinjals depending on where in the world you are from) can be a tricky vegetable to cook. Too much oil and they become slimy, cut too thick and they have an unpleasant chunky texture.
It took me a trip to Italy where I spent time watching the way the locals prepared it before I finally learned how to grill eggplant.
Table of Contents
How to make this grilled eggplant:
- It all starts with salting which is meant to draw bitterness out of the slices. I find that salting is required for larger “meaty” eggplant, and is a step that can easily be skipped for the smaller sized ones.
- The next step is to quickly dip them in a mixture of olive oil, herbs and garlic which helps stop them from drying out when grilled.
- After grilling, toss them back into the oil and herb mixture again which gives them added flavour.
Why you will love these grilled eggplant:
- They are tender in the middle and develop a nice char on the edges
- By dipping the eggplant slices into the garlic and herb oil before grilling, they absorb a lot of the oil which gives the eggplant so much flavour
- Unlike other grilled vegetables such as zucchini, these grilled eggplant last a few days in the fridge without becoming mushy. The leftovers are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways (see more below)
- They are low carb and tick the majority of healthy boxes including Keto, Whole30, Vegan, Paleo and SCD Legal
Ways to serve the grilled eggplant:
- Serve warm as a side dish
- Serve cold as part of an antipasti platter or chopped up and added into a salad
- Use as a base for bruschetta topped with pesto, prosciutto or any of your other favourite bruschetta toppings
- Use two thick slices as “buns” for burgers. They are especially delicious with Greek lamb burgers
Love grilled vegetables? Here are a few other grilled vegetable recipes you might enjoy:
- Charred Broccolini with Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Grilled Asian Asparagus & Scallions
- Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Arugula Pesto
- BBQ Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri
- Asian Grilled Eggplant
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Grilled Eggplant with Garlic & Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices and generously salt each slice. Let them rest for about 15 minutes so that the salt can draw out the moisture and bitterness. Wipe each of the slices with a paper towel to remove the salt and moisture.
- Preheat the barbecue to medium heat
- In a large dish combine the olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Place each of the eggplant slices in the dish, flipping them over to ensure both sides are covered in oil.
- Grill for approximately 6 minutes per side until golden in colour with grill marks. If the eggplant slices become dry and stick to the grill, brush them with more oil.
- Once the eggplant is tender and cooked. Remove from the grill and return back to oil, herb and garlic mixture in the pan. Flip once so that both sides are coated before transferring to a serving platter. Spoon any of the excess herbs & garlic overtop before serving. The eggplant can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature and will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
Very tasty but I wish I would have skipped step six. I tried one as they came off the grill that hadn’t been reintroduced to the olive oil/herb blend and it was delicious. But, adding it back into the oil after grilling just didn’t work for me. Otherwise, it’s a great, basic way to grill eggplant.
Amazing recipe so delicious!
Simple and with a lovely garlic flavor. This one is worth repeating!
Bitter eggplants are no longer grown. No need to sprinkle them with salt.
How can you offer a recipe with 110 grams of FAT? Totally unhealthy!
I think there is a calculation error on the website. I made this and everything was healthy minus the oil. I think that is calories in recipe not per serving.
I was looking at that nutritional info trying to figure out where 33 grams of sugar came from????
???? And the colossal fat grams????
Me, too. And 5262gms sodium??? 65gms carbs? Info is WAAAAY off.
Lets use our common sense here. Just checking the recipe where do you think the fat would come from?
This recipe turned out great and I’m definitely making it again and again 🙂
This was delicious! Normally eggplant just gets soggy no matter what but these were excellent on the grill and the flavor was perfect!
Like most comments of being too salty: any time you soak Eggplants in salt, you should always rinse them off afterwards and squeeze out the excess water.
I believe this part should be noted, otherwise they will be way too salty! 😃
How is it possible that the sodium level is 3 times the daily recommended amount?
Like other people said, it’d be best to omit the salt in the oil mixture. It makes more sense to add salt to your liking once the eggplants are cooked.
I also personally did not dip them in the oil mixture once again after they were done cooking as it was already really oily.
Other than these 2 things, the recipe is great! I added some Parmesan on top and it was good!