Easy Roasted Eggplant with Chimichurri

This roasted eggplant side dish is creamy, slightly sweet and has a nice touch of smokiness! Top it off with that tangy chimichurri and pair it with your favorite protein. Just like that, you have an easy yet elevated lunch or dinner.

I don’t know about you, but I like to have variety when it comes to my meals. I enjoy having classic side dishes such as potatoes or salads, but why not switch things up from time to time? Perhaps you’ve landed on this page because you want to incorporate more vegetables into your meals or you simply want to learn how to properly cook an eggplant. Whatever your reason is, you can rest assured knowing that I got you covered!

So last week, I decided to make some chimichurri since I had a bunch of fresh herbs that I needed to use before they went bad. Whenever I make chimichurri, I find a way to put it on anything and everything; eggs, chicken, steak, fish, bread and I even use it as a salad dressing. Naturally when I made roasted eggplant and chicken for dinner one evening, I drizzled that chimichurri all over my plate! Simply put, it was the best decision I made that evening. The earthiness and slight sweetness from the eggplant combined with that pop of acidity and freshness of those herbs, was just incredibly delicious!

Here are some of my tips to ensure the best results:

• Avoid buying those huge, bulky eggplants. They contain more seeds and might have a bitter taste.
• You can substitute the red wine vinegar for lemon juice if you don’t use red wine vinegar in your cooking. I highly recommend it though!
• Make sure you’re chopping those herbs with a super sharp knife. Otherwise, use a food processor to make the chimichurri. Just don’t overprocess it.
• If you like spicy food, add some red pepper flakes to your chimichurri.

Ingredients

Roasted Eggplant

• 1 small/medium eggplant
• 1 tablespoon of avocado/olive oil
• 2-3 teaspoons of salt (I always use kosher)

Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Kitchen Supplies/ Equipment

• Paper towel
• Aluminum Foil
• Pan
• Baking sheet

Instructions

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your eggplant.
2. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, without removing the stem.
3. Score each half. To score: make shallow cuts on the surface of the eggplant for even cooking and texture control. See picture below.
4. Generously salt each half (about 1-1.5 teaspoon of salt each) and lay them salt side down on a paper towel for 15 min. This will draw out excess moisture so the eggplant is more tender and flavorful.
5. In the meantime, finely chop the parsley, cilantro, red onion and press the garlic cloves. Add to a bowl in addition to the extra virgin olive oil, salt and red wine vinegar. Stir, taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
6. Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
7. By now, you might have noticed that the paper towel underneath your eggplant is completely damp. That is a good sign; the excess moisture has been drawn out!
8. Dab each half of the eggplant with a paper towel to remove that moisture on the surface.
9. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan for 2 minutes.
10. Place the eggplant cut-side down in the pan and let it cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat. (Do not touch it during this time.)
11. It should now have a nice, golden-brown color. Place the eggplant cut-side up on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes in the oven.
12. Top it with your chimichurri (and add your favorite protein). Enjoy!