Roasted Eggplant

Our roasted eggplant recipe calls for only one ingredient (eggplant!). It's a simple technique that rewards you with incredibly tender, scoopable eggplant flesh. And, it only requires very basic pieces of kitchen equipment (a baking sheet, a fork, and your oven) and cooks in about 45 mintues. To make this recipe, prick the eggplants a few times with a fork—similar to when baking potatoes—to allow the steam to escape. Then transfer them to the oven on a baking sheet and cook until they yield incredibly soft flesh, 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the eggplants.

Buying and Storing Eggplant

When shopping for eggplant, choose ones with smooth, shiny skin that's free of blemishes. A fresh eggplant should feel heavy for its size, so pick up a few of similarly size and snag the ones that feel heaviest.

Store eggplant in a cool, dark spot like a pantry or in a paper bag (leave the top open a bit) in a cooler area of your kitchen. If your kitchen is on the warm side, you can store eggplant in the refrigerator, just be sure to keep it away from apples, bananas, and avocados, which give off ethylene gas and can hasten over-ripening.

Should You Peel Eggplant Before Cooking?

If you're working with baby or petite eggplants that have thin skin, don't worry about peeling them. The skin of larger eggplants can be tough and somewhat bitter, however, so if you'll be roasting or frying planks or slices, we'd recommend peeling them first. Since you'll be scooping out the roasted flesh for this recipe, there's no need to peel the eggplants first.