46 Eggplant Recipes You’ll Want to Eat Every Day

Whether you’ve noticed this plump purple fruit popping up at the grocery store or have been growing eggplant at home and are ready to harvest, the sight of it has probably made you think about a warm, cheesy eggplant Parmesan at least once. Us, too. But, eggplant is surprisingly versatile—and great in everything from pastas to gratins. Trying to eat more veggies? Make ratatouille. Looking for a light-yet-satisfying warm-weather dinner? Try eggplant crisp with a walnut “streusel”. The perfect side for any summer get-together? Pasta salad with roasted eggplant. With these recipes you’ll be able to turn your eggplant into a wide variety of delicious dishes, starting with this grilled one. We’ve topped the eggplant with feta (that’s been marinated in herbs and pepper flakes) for a nice, salty balance to the otherwise rich and smoky flavor.

Filled with a trio of cheeses, a mouthwatering homemade red sauce and crispy fried eggplant rounds, Alex Guarnaschelli's vegetarian dish gives any meat-filled Parm a run for its money. She admits she'd eat this for her last meal on Earth — how can you argue with that?

This popular stir-fry highlights eggplant cooked to its silky, creamy best, then bathed in a deliciously thick and savory sauce. This version of garlic sauce is a classic Chinese American soy-based sauce that can paired with a number of different proteins — chicken, shrimp and tofu are popular, as are various vegetables. We call for Chinese or Japanese eggplants in this recipe since they have thinner skins and fewer seeds than the larger Italian eggplants. They’re deep-fried first to achieve the luscious texture the dish is famous for, then quickly stir-fried with the sauce. You can make the dish vegan by substituting umami vegetable seasoning sauce for the fish sauce and checking that the sugar you use is vegan. Although the dish is often spiced with red chiles, you’re welcome to leave those out if you like.

Perfect for a summer side, these smoky eggplant skewers get their nutty, sweet and spicy flavor thanks to a marinade that stars tahini, honey and chile crisp. Grilling the eggplant creates a crispy exterior while leaving the interior smooth and creamy, and the marinade caramelizes and deepens as it cooks, cloaking the eggplant in layers of deliciousness. A drizzle of the reserved marinade before serving brings it all home.

This smoky roasted eggplant dish from India is one of recipe developer Nidhi Jalan’s favorites. It’s served as a main course, as part of a selection of dishes in a thali. Different versions are made in various parts of the country but this Punjabi recipe is the most popular. The best flavor and smokiness comes from roasting the eggplant on a direct flame or grill.

Craving hearty comfort food while trying to make the most of grilling season? Michael Symon's got just the recipe.

Summer delivers a bounty of fresh vegetables all at once and we scramble to use them up before they become scarce again. This southern French staple is the perfect way to get all your summer goodies into one dish, eggplant included!

Zucchini isn’t the only summer squash that can shine in a quick bread. Here, we grill a whole eggplant until perfectly charred, then scoop out the smoky flavored flesh and whisk it into a batter. The eggplant helps to keep the bread incredibly moist and allows for less fat to be used without losing any of the flavor. Chopped, salted pistachios sprinkled on top of a sweet honey glaze add just the right amount of crunch.

Skip the messy process of frying eggplant and bake it on a sheet pan instead. The thick slices get the same crisp exterior and soft interior, but you'll use a lot less oil.

Top creamy eggplant with a crunchy walnut streusel for a side dish that's great for a late summer dinner. Got leftovers? Scoop some into a pita and add sliced cucumber and a drizzle of tahini sauce.

This delicious vegan recipe combines the flavors of bulgogi with pan-seared eggplant – but instead of marinating the vegetable in the gochugaru and soy mixture as you do with beef, we use it as a pan sauce. The eggplant is excellent served with rice, kimchi, lettuce greens and your favorite banchan for a meatless Korean barbecue rice bowl.

The layers of eggplant, Parmesan, mozzarella and marinara in this dish are definitely crave-worthy, but you'll love the quick marinara so much we know you'll be making it again and again. You can keep it in the fridge for up to three days or store in the freezer for two months.

Even though the exterior of eggplant is a gorgeous deep purple color; the beauty of this vegetable lies on the inside. This recipe takes advantage of the fact that the flesh of grilled eggplant transforms into a luscious creamy sauce that’s perfect for dressing up little tubes of rigatoni. To make the most of summer’s bounty, cherry tomatoes are grilled alongside the eggplant until bursting with juices, then mixed into this summer vegetable pasta.

This five-star recipe has rave reviews from Food Network fans. They call it “super yummy” and rave that it’s a hit at dinner parties and the family table alike.

This is a super-tasty vegan take on the beloved Japanese dish unadon – grilled eel in a sweet, sticky sauce served over steamed white rice. ("Don," short for donburi, indicates it’s served in a rice bowl.) Here, eggplant stands in for eel. The recipe is quick and easy to make and a real crowd pleaser with non-vegans, too. Peeling the eggplant means there’s no tough skin to cut (or chew) through while you’re eating it, especially convenient if you are using chopsticks, but feel free to skip that step, if you like. Sansho pepper is a classic topping for unadon and is also good on the eggplant.

Who could say no to a big bowl of bowtie pasta, tossed with a fresh herbed-yogurt sauce and topped with roasted eggplant and tomatoes?

An easy, cheesy baked pasta, made with spiral cavatappi, tomato sauce, eggplant and pancetta? Now, that's a dinner the whole family will love!

Baba ganoush is a classic Levantine eggplant and tahini dip that is beloved throughout the Middle East. The main variations are whether yogurt is included (it’s generally added to smooth out the flavor of the garlic) and how the eggplant is cooked. Our version calls for grilling the eggplant and skipping the yogurt to allow the charred smoky flavor to really shine.

The Middle Eastern staples eggplant and chickpeas plus a garlicky yogurt sauce give oomph to these simple vegetarian wraps. Be sure to get a good char on the eggplant and use ripe, juicy summer tomatoes.

A mixture of ricotta, half-and-half, and Parmesan elevates Ina Garten's individual gratins to a superior level of creaminess.

Pro tip: Press the diced eggplant to get rid of excess water before you cook it. That way it ends up perfectly golden brown and delicious.

Cottage cheese is having a real moment. And we're happily on board with the craze, discovering new ways this humble ingredient can take recipes from meh to amazing. This hearty baked pasta, a mash-up of antipasti salad favorites (think salami, olives, banana peppers and capers) and plenty of vegetables (cherry tomatoes, eggplant and baby spinach), is pulled together with tangy cottage cheese, which helps keep everything smooth and silky with its high moisture content. And since you bake the raw penne right in the dish, there's no need to bring water to a boil first. It's the perfect weeknight low-lift meal.

Chinese restaurants often fry their eggplants. Doing so only takes a few minutes and achieves silky, flavorful results. The method in this recipe achieves similar results without deep frying. First, you’ll soak the eggplant in salted vinegar water to enhance its purple color, season the eggplant from the inside out and prevent the eggplant from soaking up too much water. You’ll steam the eggplant to tenderize it, then pour hot oil over it to quickly crisp it up and cook aromatic toppings including garlic and scallions.

Change up your chili routine by adding hearty lentils and eggplant cubes to the mix. The longer you let the chili simmer, the thicker it will get.

This Middle Eastern-inspired sandwich is just like your favorite mezze platter — in between two slices of bread.

All the classic elements of eggplant Parmesan are here. The surprise is a breading of almond flour and egg whites that bakes up tender on the inside and crispy on the exterior. Braising kale in the tomato sauce boosts the flavor and adds nutritional punch.

This vegetarian-friendly recipe (Ke Zi Dau Fu Bou) is based on braised eggplant dishes you might know from Cantonese restaurants. They often feature pork or chicken, but here we’ve used tofu and shiitake mushrooms to give it hearty flavor while keeping it meatless. A clay pot is excellent for braising since it traps steam, giving the eggplant a custard-like texture and bathing it in flavorful sauce. For this version we first stir-fry the ingredients in a wok to get the “wok hei” (breath of the wok), then transfer them to a clay pot to infuse the flavors and lock in moisture. With umami-packed shiitake mushrooms and savory gravy, it makes for a very comforting meal.

Ina roasts a whole eggplant for her flavorful caponata. Be sure to follow her advice and prick your eggplant all over with a fork before roasting — this will help keep the eggplant from exploding in your oven! Once the eggplant is cooked, the skin will peel off easily.

An Italian favorite gets a gluten-free makeover thanks to almond meal. Cleanup is also easier: Instead of frying in a skillet, we bake the nut-crusted eggplant on a rack until it's golden brown.

Make each of Trisha Yearwood's eggplant-stacked towers individually, layering crispy fried eggplant with marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan. A fresh basil leaf on top at the end is the perfect finishing touch.

The easiest way to get your little ones to love eggplant? Add it to a cheesy, pepperoni-filled pasta bake!

Just one Japanese eggplant, a little cooking spray and a sprinkle of salt will give you crispy chips. We are you to eat just one!

Married to a cattle rancher, Ree Drummond is no stranger to steak. But these Greek grilled eggplant steaks are meatless and so flavorful even diehard meat lovers will request them.

Inspired by the flavorful eggplant dish bhartha, this easy version skips the lengthy roasting and peeling steps and instead uses an instant pot to pre-cook the eggplant in 20 minutes.

Bobby Flay's Eggplant Parmesan is a 5-star winner, and reviewers agree there's a good reason: His roasted red pepper tomato sauce is an unbeatable complement to fried eggplant.

Who says meatballs have to be made with meat? Not Melissa d'Arabian! After roasting, eggplant develops a meaty flavor that complements marinara sauce perfectly.

Giada De Laurentiis calls this her version of Italian comfort food. And when you're talking about baking a hearty meatloaf, layering it with crispy fried eggplant, then topping with tomato-basil marinara and mozzarella, we couldn't agree more.

Grilled eggplant adds a surprisingly delicious flavor to Valerie Bertinelli's eggplant Parm, just when we thought the cheesy classic couldn't get any better.

Full-flavored, comforting gratin-like dish full of Italian goodness. It's surprisingly rich in fiber. Simple to make.

This dish is also great as a sandwich. Simply place a chicken-and-eggplant stack in a toasted, soft whole-wheat hoagie.

This easy pasta dinner is as satisfying on a Wednesday as it is on a weekend with company. Sauteing diced eggplant alongside sweet Italian sausage gives the dish extra flavor and texture.

If your mom didn't make stuffed eggplant for dinner when you were a kid, this recipe will make you really wish she had.

If you've got the time, salt the eggplant and let it rest for about an hour before you start breading and frying. Salting the eggplant will help draw out the bitterness. Simply rinse the eggplant with cold water and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel so your dish won't be extra salty.

Jeff Mauro throws together an easy and crispy eggplant Parmesan that can feed a dozen people. Best of all, it comes together in only 30 minutes.

Everything is better in mini form — even eggplant Parm. Giada's little crisps take only 35 minutes from start to finish, and they're amazing little appetizers guests can eat with one hand.