Best Eggplant Salad Recipes

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet; add eggplant and bell pepper. Saute until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Return sauteed onion to the skillet. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer eggplant mixture to a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before serving, about 1 hour.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet. Place bell peppers, cut-sides down, on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to char, about 45 minutes.
• While peppers roast, score eggplant flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern with the tip of a knife. Press on the edges of the halves to open the cuts and sprinkle salt over the surface and into the cuts. Set aside, cut-sides up, for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant over the sink to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange each half, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
• Remove bell peppers from the oven and cover with a dish towel. Let stand for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Roast eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice the peppers while eggplant is roasting.
• Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and chili sauce together in a separate bowl. Slice 4 artichoke hearts; reserve any remaining artichoke hearts for another use.
• Let eggplant cool for at least 20 minutes before handling. Turn flesh-side up. Use a kitchen knife to scrape the flesh from the skin. Divide the flesh along the score lines into cubes. Discard skin.
• Combine eggplant, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix together. Garnish with basil leaves.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium high. Prick the eggplant all over with a fork, put in on the grill and close the cover; cook, turning occasionally, until eggplant is very soft and skin is blistered, about 15 minutes.
• When cool enough, scoop out the insides of the eggplant and coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl and toss with tomatoes, vinegar, salt, oregano and garlic. Stir in oil and parsley; season with pepper and more salt if needed. Garnish with capers if you like them. Serve with warm pita bread.

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

EGGPLANT SALAD WITH PEPPERS, MINT AND CAPER-FETA VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Toss eggplant with 1/3 cup vinaigrette, reserving the rest. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden around edges, about 30 minutes. Let eggplant cool somewhat. (It can be warm but not hot enough to melt feta or wilt mint.)
• Whisk feta, garlic and capers into reserved vinaigrette. In a large bowl, combine eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and mint leaves. Toss with vinaigrette, and serve immediately or within several hours. (It holds up all day.)

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND MOZZARELLA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with 1 tablespoon oil each. Arrange eggplant slices on sheets. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• On a serving platter, layer eggplant with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Top with basil leaves and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and balsamic vinegar.

MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT AND BARLEY SALAD

Steps:

• Roast eggplant and zucchini:
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Combine vegetables in 1 pan and cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.
• Cook barley:
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to reserved shallow baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Make dressing and assemble salad:
• Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well. Serve with cheese slices.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Brush the eggplant and red onions with canola oil and arrange on the grill. Cook the eggplant until soft and grill the onions until they have a slight char. Remove from the grill to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Once cool, roughly chop and add them to a serving bowl along with the avocado.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, the Dijon, and oregano. Add honey and olive oil, to taste, and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add the dressing to the eggplant mixture and toss. Garnish with lemon zest and parsley sprigs and serve.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD WITH SOY, SESAME AND CHARRED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour the olive oil into a baking sheet and top with a single layer of eggplant slices. Turn to coat both sides with the oil and sprinkle liberally with salt. Place in the center of the oven and roast until completely tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and arrange in a single layer on a serving platter.
• Place the peppers directly on the burners of a gas range or grill and char on all sides, rotating with a pair of tongs. Remove from the heat and place them in the refrigerator to cool, 10 minutes. Use a paper towel to wipe off the charred skin. Remove the seeds and slice the pepper flesh into thin strips. Arrange over the top of the eggplant.
• Whisk together the soy, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar and garlic in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle the vinaigrette over the eggplant and peppers and top with the sesame seeds.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place eggplant and cherry tomatoes on nonstick baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and 1/8 cup of olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes or until slightly brown. When done, cut the eggplant in quarters and toss with 1/8 cup of olive oil, fresh basil and salt and pepper.

BAINGAN BHARTA (ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil. Make 3 slashes in each eggplant, from top to tail, equally distanced around the eggplant. Rub the eggplants with a little peanut oil. Sit them on the baking sheet and roast until soft all the way to the center and the skin is brown, about 45 minutes, rotating the pan and flipping the eggplants halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool.
• Once cool, skin the eggplant. Chop the flesh until it's relatively smooth but not mushy.
• In a large skillet, warm the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add the eggplant flesh, garlic, chile and cilantro leaves. Cook 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.
• Add the turmeric, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir and cook another 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Add the yogurt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and garnish with cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of ground cumin. Serve either warm or slightly chilled.

ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING, GRILLED EGGPLANT AND PEA, MINT, AND AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Place the beef roast on a clean work surface and rub with the olive oil and chopped rosemary.
• Place into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare meat, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for about 15 minutes before slicing.
• To make the Yorkshire Pudding, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the milk, eggs, and salt, and add pepper, beating all well together. I use my freestanding mixer but a hand-held electric mixer, rotary, or balloon whisk would do. Let these ingredient stand for 15 minutes and then whisk in the flour. Meanwhile, add the drippings a large heat-proof pan and put it in the oven to heat for about 10 minutes. Into this intensely hot pan you should pour in the batter and cook for 20 minutes, or until well puffed and golden. Bring it, triumphant, to the table.
• To make the grilled eggplant, place the garlic-oil into a shallow dish and set aside. On a clean work surface, slice the eggplant into long, thin slices and then place into the garlic-oil, turning to coat.
• Preheat a griddle or stove top grill pan and then place each eggplant slice onto the grill. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes and then turn, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the grilled slices to a platter and drizzle with more of the garlic-oil. Garnish with coarse salt, cracked black pepper, lemon juice and snipped chives.
• To make the pea, mint and avocado salad, first make the dressing: put the oil, vinegar, and sugar into a large bowl and then put in a decent handful of the chopped mint. Stir well so all is amalgamated. Cook the peas for 2 minutes or so in salted boiling water, just so that they're ready, but not soft. Taste after 2 minutes and keep tasting. Drain the peas in a colander, put them straightaway into the bowl of dressing, and let steep for 1 hour or up to a day.
• Just before serving, stir in the mixed greens, the endive, and the avocado. You may need to drizzle a bit more oil after tossing. Serve this on a big plate. Sprinkle with some more of the chopped mint.

EGGPLANT-TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Brush eggplant with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Broil eggplant in the hot oven, turning to brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Transfer cooked eggplant to a large bowl. Add tomatoes and onion.
• Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour dressing over salad.

EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pierce eggplants several times with a fork, and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until completely softened. Cool completely. Remove skin and chop fine. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
• In a skillet, cook garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat until lightly browned. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the vinegar, sugar, oregano, and basil until well blended and sugar is dissolved. Pour over the eggplant, and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss again. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

SPICY EGGPLANT SALAD WITH SESAME OIL

Steps:

• Cook the eggplants in a covered steamer over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then peel. Put the flesh in a fine meshed strainer to drain excess liquid.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar. Add garlic, ginger, sesame oil, vegetable oil and hot pepper oil, if using.
• Put drained eggplants in a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the eggplants a bit, then pour dressing over and toss, coating well. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
• Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro. Pile eggplants on a platter and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with serrano chile, if using, and cilantro sprigs.

EGGPLANT SALAD WITH TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Brush both sides of eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper., Broil eggplant 3-4 inches from heat or grill, covered, over medium heat, until tender, 4-5 minutes per side., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, parsley, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and remaining salt and pepper. Toss arugula with remaining oil and divide among 8 plates. Top each with eggplant, tomato mixture and goat cheese.

GRILLED SESAME CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT SALAD

Steps:

• Remove the tenderloins from the underside of the chicken breasts and reserve for another purpose. Trim breasts if necessary and flatten them slightly with a meat mallet. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish. Using a clean knife and cutting board, peel eggplant and cut into 1/2-inch slices, then season with salt and pepper. Place eggplant slices in a separate shallow dish.
• Prepare the marinade: stir together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, peanut oil, sesame oil, rice wine and chile paste in a small bowl. Pour half the marinade over chicken and remaining marinade over eggplant, turning over to coat well. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. (You may do this step up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before cooking.)
• Make the vinaigrette: whisk together rice vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, mustard, sesame oil, peanut oil, salt and lime juice. Set aside.
• Heat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat, or use a charcoal or gas grill. Grill eggplant slices until nicely browned and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and hold at room temperature. Lay chicken breasts on the grill skin side down and let cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until firm to the touch, about 2 minutes more. Remove breasts to a platter and let rest 5 minutes.
• Line a large platter with lettuce leaves. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch slices and arrange over lettuce. Arrange grilled eggplant around the platter. Lightly salt cucumbers and dress with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette, then scatter over salad. Spoon the rest of the vinaigrette evenly over salad. Top with scallions and cilantro, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Garnish with optional jalapeño slices and lime wedges and serve.

NADIA'S "SALATA DE VINETE" EGGPLANT SALAD SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pierce the eggplant skins in several places with a fork. Set the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast until soft and the skin is charred, 30 to 45 minutes, turning a few times for even roasting.
• When done, cut off the stems and peel the eggplants. Cut a slit along the side of each eggplant and transfer the eggplants to a strainer for a couple of minutes to allow the juices to drain.
• Finely chop the eggplants with a knife until they form a smooth puree. Add the eggplant puree to a bowl and stir in the olive oil and lemon juice until well-blended; taste and add more olive oil and lemon juice if desired. Add the onion and mix in the mayonnaise, adding more if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with dill and refrigerate for at least one hour to chill.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place a baking rack in the top of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread asparagus spears and eggplant slices on the baking sheet, and drizzle vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil; sprinkle with garlic powder.
• Roast the asparagus and eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool. When cool, roughly chop the vegetables; set aside.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still slightly firm, about 9 minutes. Drain well.
• Transfer about 1/4 of the penne at a time into a large salad bowl, drizzling each batch with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Stir between additions.
• Stir in roasted asparagus and eggplant, lemon juice, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until thoroughly combined.
• Sprinkle pasta salad with salt-free seasoning and black pepper.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad until thoroughly chilled and the flavors have blended, at least 3 hours.

ROASTED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) AND PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Position rack in top third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• Spray large heavy baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Combine the eggplant, peppers, garlic and olive oil in a large bowl. Toss well.
• Transfer to the prepared sheet. Bake until eggplant is brown and the peppers are tender, stirring every 10 minutes.
• Scape vegetables and pan juices into a bowl, saving the garlic for the dressing.
• Combine the vinegar, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne in a food processor.
• Peel the roasted garlic, add to the food processor. Puree until smooth.
• Toss the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the dressing.
• Cool, and let sit for a while to let the flavors develop.
• To serve: Bring to room temperature. Mound salad in center of large platter.
• Serve with the pita wedges.