Grilled Eggplant Recipe
Serve up these grilled eggplant slices at your next barbecue and watch them disappear! They grill up perfectly tender and creamy with charred edges and tons of flavor from an infused basil oil. And they fit into any diet, including vegan, keto and gluten-free.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 198kcal
Equipment
- Barbecue grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggplants (Use Italian eggplants for the best results, not the huge globe eggplants, nor smaller or skinnier eggplants like Indian and Chinese eggplants.)
- 1 tablespoon salt (for brine. Use kosher salt, sea salt or pink salt)
- ½ recipe basil oil
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into slices about ¼th of an inch thick. You can make thicker or thinner slices but ¼th of an inch works just perfectly.
- Fill a large bowl with water and stir the salt into it. Add the eggplant slices to the bowl and place another bowl on top to weigh them down so they stay under water. Let stand for 30 minutes, then drain out all the water and dry the eggplant slices with paper towels.
- Pour the basil oil into a baking dish and soak the eggplant slices in it for about two minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure the oil soaks in thorougly.
- Fire up the grill to medium heat or heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Brush some oil on the grill or the grill pan.
- Place the eggplant slices on the grill or in the pan making sure they don't overlap. Grill for about four to five minutes on either side, until grill marks appear. If you cut the slices thinner you will need less time; if you cut them thicker you will need more. The eggplant should be very tender and soft and the skin slightly charred when it is done. You might need to turn down the heat at some point if the grill or pan gets too hot so the eggplant cooks before it chars.
- Remove the eggplant to a dish. Drizzle on some more basil oil before serving. You can also tear up fresh basil as a garnish, and crumble some vegan feta on top for an outstanding treat.
Notes
- The basil oil is extra virgin olive oil infused with basil, lemon juice and ground black pepper. I shared this amazingly flavorful recipe with you recently, but you can use any herb infused oil of your choice.
- You can also make a very basic and simple herb oil by mixing together salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes and garlic powder or crushed garlic with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil.
- Or use an infusion of 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar mixed with ½ cup olive oil, fresh ground pepper and salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 1166mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.5mg