From timbale and eggplant caviar wraps to ratatouille and caponata, we have a bunch of great recipes for how to use this versatile veggie.
With tomatoes, basil, and summer squash, ratatouille uses the best of late summer produce. Photo by Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen
Ratatouille
With eggplant, tomatoes, and basil currently in season at farmers markets, it's the perfect time to make ratatouille, which started out as an extremely rustic dish — the word ratatouille literally means "stirred mishmash" — with vegetables that were cooked together until they turned to mush. It has become more refined over the years but if you don't want to cook the vegetables separately, you can make this simple version. Get the recipe
Ratatouille Niçoise
"Living as I do in the home of ratatouille, this is not a recipe that I take lightly," writes Rosa Jackson, author of the cookbook Niçoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France's Sunniest City. She prefers to it in the height of summer when tomatoes are at their pea but she says you can get away with making it out of season if you use good-quality Italian passata, or strained tomatoes. Get the recipe
Ratatouille with Stuffed Squash Blossoms
If you want a fancier version of ratatouille, try chef Ken Takayama's version. Squash blossoms are found on many different plants in the squash family — from pumpkins to spaghetti squash — so don’t be confused if someone calls them zucchini flowers. He and his team dreamt up this elaborate recipe so they could preserve the natural look of the flower, wrapping the squash blossom around a soft-boiled egg then frying it lightly in breadcrumbs and oil. Get the recipe
Caponata
A Sicilian dish made with eggplant and other veggies, caponata is versatile. It can be a main course, a side dish or a spread that you put on top of bread or crackers. Get the recipe
Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma's Baingan Bharta Caponata recipe combines her Indian roots with her love of Italian food. Photo by Diana Muresan
Baingan Bharta Caponata
Baingan bharta, which is Hindi for "eggplant mash," is comprised of roasted eggplant with onions, tomatoes, and various spices. Caponata is a tangy and sweet eggplant dish with Sicilian roots. Food writer and climate activist Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma has melded her Indian roots and love for Italian food in one spicy and sour dish. You'll find the recipe comes in her book Good Food, Healthy Planet. Get the recipe
Grilled Eggplant with Miso Glaze
Chef and culinary instructor Amanda Cushman shared this easy and tasty recipe, which you can prepare on a grill pan or outdoor grill. Get the recipe
Eggplant Timbale
Derived from the French word for "kettledrum," a timbale is traditionally a dish of finely minced meat or fish cooked with other ingredients in a pastry shell or mold. In this case, it's a savory eggplant quiche but without a crust. Get the recipe
Eggplant Caviar
Eggplant caviar is served throughout Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus with all sorts of regional variations. This is version comes from Sharon Hudgins, the author of The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Get the recipe
Eggplant Caviar Wraps
Amelia Saltsman, author of The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook, likes to serve eggplant caviar with fresh Italian basil leaves and feta cheese for an herby appetizer. She says you can make this dish with Italian, Vietnamese, Thai, or Middle Eastern flavors, depending on your preference. Get the recipe
Eggplant is a versatile veggie with various uses. Photo by Lucian Alexe/Unsplash
Smoky Eggplant with Garlic and Red Chiles
"Here is an example that shatters the myth of turmeric as the omnipresent curry spice," says Raghavan Iyer. "Armed with only five ingredients, this recipe shows the layers of complexities you can create with a few readily available ingredients." He likes to serve this as an appetizer, slathered onto pieces of toasted bread as a precursor to a curry dinner. Get the recipe
Pickled eggplant cubes
Tiredof grilling, baking, broiling, and sauteing eggplant? Linda Ziedrich, author of The Joy of Pickling, will show you how to pickle eggplant. Get the recipe
Red Pepper and Eggplant Dip
Peppers are a mainstay of Macedonian cuisine. Chef Katerina Nitsou calls this condiment ajvar “an institution” in Macedonia. And when prepared in large batches, it becomes a day-long event. You'll find her recipe in Macedonia: The Cookbook. Get the recipe
Baba Ghanoush
No list of eggplant recipes would be complete without baba ghanoush, that delicious smoky spread. This version comes to us from the late Mark Peel of Campanile. He says eggplant should never be al dente because it's unsavory and spongy that way, and should always be cooked thoroughly. Get the recipe
An eggplant dish works as a starter or as part of a shared summer table. Photo by Ashely Lima
Aubergines Roasted with Tahinia (Eggplant with Tahini)
"We use aubergine (eggplant) in all manner of recipes," says Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan, who has restaurants in London and Bethlehem, where he also co-runs a small hotel. "This recipe works as a starter or as part of a shared table and it screams summer to my palate." Get the recipe
Meatballs with Eggplant (Polpette con Melanzane)
"I love working with vegetables, and I think part of the greatness, shall I say, of Italian cuisine is this intense use of vegetables," says Lidia Bastianich, about this recipe. Also, "Meatballs are comfort food. But I do include vegetables wherever I can. So I put eggplant in the meatballs themselves, and it makes a delicious meatball and sauce," she says. Get the recipe