Roasted Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley

I’ve had this one sitting in my “to post” folder for a while now. I’d almost forgotten about it until my mom put in a request for something involving eggplant, her favorite vegetable. I have several eggplant recipes waiting to be tried in the future, but since I’m a good daughter, I figured I better dig through my archives and post something sooner than later.

This dish won’t win any beauty pageants (perhaps why I haven’t posted it already), but it is pretty darn tasty. Slices of eggplant are studded with tons of garlic and parsley and then roasted in the oven until crispy on the edges and melt-in-your-mouth creamy in the center. The garlic packs a serious punch, so make sure you serve some to your sweetie too, otherwise it’ll be a lonely night. I mean, c’mon, two garlics have to cancel each other out, right?

Roasted Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley
Adapted from How to Cook Everything

Ingredients:
2 medium or 1 large eggplant (1 1/2 or 2 lbs. total)
Kosher salt
4 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 T. garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Peel eggplant if it is not perfectly firm. Cut into 1-inch-thick slices.

Optional:
Generously sprinkle both sides of slices with kosher salt. Place on paper towels on a wire cooling rack or in a colander and allow to drain for up to an hour. Rinse well to remove salt and pat dry. (Salting eggplant removes any bitterness from the flesh.)

When Ready to Prepare:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread 2 tablespoons of the olive oil onto a baking sheet. Cut several slits into one side of the eggplant slices and place on the baking sheet. 

In a bowl, combine remaining olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt (if you did not salt the eggplant), and pepper to taste.

Spread the mixture onto the eggplant slices, making sure to push some of the mixture into the slits.

Bake until the eggplant is soft, at least 40 minutes. Garnish with extra parsley and serve hot or at room temperature. (Leftovers also taste pretty good cold, straight from the fridge!)

Serves 4.