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With just seven ingredients, RecipeTin’s Mediterranean baked eggplant is your new midweek go-to

RecipeTin Eats
RecipeTin Eats

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Mediterranean baked eggplant - it’s like a dip, for dinner!
Mediterranean baked eggplant - it’s like a dip, for dinner!Nagi Maehashi

Think creamy eggplant flesh amped up by a bold-flavoured tomato salsa, with briny pops coming from capers and olives that mingle with creamy goat’s cheese.
I was going to be sensible and suggest a leafy green salad on the side. But I couldn’t go past crostini. Dunk and scoop it up, like a dip, except you get to call it dinner.

And with just seven ingredients (I’m not counting olive oil, salt and pepper) and only a little hands-on effort, I have a strong feeling this will be your new favourite eggplant recipe.

The SOS checklist

  • Feeds 4 for under $20 (easily!) ✔
  • Fewer than 12 ingredients ✔
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Ingredients

  • 2 large eggplants*

  • 1 tsp cooking salt

  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 80g fresh goat’s cheese or Danish feta

  • 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil

Mediterranean tomato sauce

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 800g canned crushed tomato

  • 2 tbsp baby capers

  • ⅓ cup kalamata olive slices

  • ½ tsp cooking salt

  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Crostini

  • 1 rustic breadstick, cut into 12 slices on the diagonal

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then use a small sharp knife to score 2cm diamonds in the flesh. Take care not to cut through the skin. Rub the flesh of each eggplant with ¼ teaspoon salt, opening the cuts to get salt into the crevices. Set aside for 30 minutes, then squeeze gently like a sponge to remove excess water.

  2. Step 2

    Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

  3. Step 3

    Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels and place on the prepared tray. Drizzle each eggplant with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft (really big eggplants will take a little longer).

  4. Step 4

    To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until light golden. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring regularly, for 20 minutes, until it becomes a thick, chunky sauce.

  5. Step 5

    Spread the sauce on the eggplant, crumble goat’s cheese over and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Prepare the crostini by brushing or drizzling olive oil on both sides of the bread slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Put into the oven for the last 10 minutes of the eggplant baking time, until fully crisp.

  7. Step 7

    Sprinkle the chopped basil over the eggplant and serve with crostini on the side, using them for dunking.

*Note: This recipe will work for eggplants of any size. Bake until the flesh is soft before topping with the tomato sauce. I use 2 large eggplants, which serves 4 as a meal.

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RecipeTin EatsRecipeTin Eats aka Nagi Maehashi is a Good Food columnist, bestselling cookbook and recipe writer.

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Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/recipes/with-just-seven-ingredients-recipetin-s-mediterranean-baked-eggplant-is-your-new-midweek-go-to-20230323-p5cuo7.html