Another Baked Eggplant Recipe for a Summer Dinner
Try this Another Baked Eggplant Recipe for a Summer Dinner recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Another Baked Eggplant Recipe for a Summer Dinner recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 36.8186115625 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.854006875 g
- Fiber 16.3021410598755 g
- Protein 6.6308859375 g
- Saturated Fat 0.772059875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (477g)
- Sodium 112.575375 mg
- Sugar 20.5164705026245 g
- Trans Fat 0.525602375 g
- Calories 197 calories
Step-by-step
- Turn on the oven 180°C/356°F.
- Wash the eggplants and cut the leaves.
- Cut them in halves.
- With a sharp knife make deep cuts forming like a chessboard. Do not reach the bottom (cut about â…” deep).
- Wash and mince the parsley.
- Chop the garlic.
- Take some parsley and insere it inside the cuts.
- Put the eggplant halves on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
- Add the garlic spreading it using your fingers so that some will go into the cuts.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Add breadcrumbs and grated cheese, if desired.
- Add a generous thread of extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake them for about 30 minutes, or until soft (it will depend on the size of the eggplants).
- Buon appetito!
Can this be prepared ahead of time without turning the flesh into a watery sponge? Salting the scored halves thirty minutes before assembly draws out excess moisture and prevents the interior from collapsing into mush during baking. This advance prep step also concentrates the spongy flesh so it absorbs olive oil evenly rather than pooling it on the surface.
Leftover roasted portions keep safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat them in a 180 degree Celsius oven for ten minutes to restore the crisp exterior crust without overcooking the tender interior. Freezing is not recommended because the high water content in eggplant breaks down completely upon thawing, resulting in an unpalatable texture.
Determining doneness requires observing both physical resistance and visual cues rather than relying on a thermometer. Pierce the thickest part of the vegetable with a paring knife; the blade should slide through the flesh with zero resistance. The surface breadcrumbs should achieve a deep golden brown while the edges of the skin wrinkle and shrink slightly.
Extra virgin olive oil acts as the primary cooking fat here, but standard vegetable oil functions adequately if olive oil is unavailable. Standard parmesan can be swapped for pecorino at a one-to-one ratio if a sharper finish is desired. Parchment paper on the baking sheet prevents sticking and eliminates the need for excess cleanup oils.
