One of my favorite vegetable is an eggplant. Sometimes, when I feel like having a simple vegetarian dinner and taking a break from protein, eggplant is a great option, because they are so satisfying. Recently, my go-to way to cook eggplants is by roasting them in the oven with garlic and chili. Roasted in large slices, the eggplants are almost like vegetarian “steaks” packed full of flavor. I love how the garlic slices are crispy, while the heat from the chili adds a nice kick to the creaminess of the eggplants. I can eat so much of these eggplants, I don’t miss having my usual protein main (although David still needs to have a main protein component, of course).
OVEN-ROASTED EGGPLANTS W/GARLIC+CHILI
- 3 eggplants, ends trimmed and cut into about 1/2 inch slices
- Salt
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 1 serrano chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
- Basil, chiffonaded
- Lemon
Make cross-hatch incision into the eggplant slices, taking care to not cut all the way through. Salt generously and set aside for at least 1 hour.
After the eggplants have softened, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry.
Preheat the oven 400F.
Lay out the eggplants on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over the eggplant slices, and make sure the oil is rubbed on all over the eggplants. Salt and pepper the eggplants, then sprinkle them with garlic slices and chili.
Roast in the oven until the eggplants are tender and a fork easily goes through, about 40 minutes. Take the baking tray out of the oven.
Drizzle lemon juice over the eggplants and basil. Enjoy!
This looks really tasty, I recently made a spicy eggplant dish and am always looking for variations!
What is chiffonaded?
Cut in thin strips (not sure if the adjective use of chiffonade exists but that’s how I intended😉
Best paleo eggplant recipe yet!