Eggplant season is here, and this post will help you avoid eggplant overload as the local growing season continues. Did you know these vibrant nightshades can keep producing their deep-purple fruit until the first frost in fall? You may need a few easy strategies to keep using eggplant in interesting ways. These tips for freezing eggplant can help you enjoy it later, too.
Eggplant’s beautiful purple color comes partly from anthocyanins, a group of antioxidant plant compounds found primarily in its skin. Believe it or not, eggplant is botanically a fruit, and it comes in many colors, shapes, and sizes. Read Eggplant Nutrition, Benefits, Types, How to Cook and Recipes to learn more.
Freezing Eggplant
First, let’s talk about freezing eggplant. Because of its high water content, eggplant is generally best cooked before it is frozen. Properly cooked eggplant develops a tender, creamy texture and rich flavor. The Kitchn’s guide, How to Freeze Eggplant So It Lasts, includes different methods based on how you plan to use it later.
Beyond Eggplant Parmesan
What can you do with eggplant? There is always the beloved classic eggplant Parmesan, but there are many other ways to enjoy it. Here are five ideas, along with tips for storing and preserving your eggplant.
Dips, Salads, and Sandwiches
Purée eggplant into a flavorful dip, chop roasted eggplant into a salad, or layer slices into a satisfying vegetarian sandwich. These dishes offer plenty of ways to enjoy eggplant throughout its growing season.
- Dips: I don’t know about you, but a hearty dip is one of my favorite snacks. Serve these dips with fresh-cut vegetables or pita chips, or spread them on crackers or bread.
- Salads: This Roasted Eggplant Salad with Smoked Almonds and Goat Cheese is warm, comforting, and satisfying. It can easily be doubled for a family meal or gathering.
- Sandwiches: Take a break from deli sandwiches and try this Ultimate Vegetarian Club Sandwich. It is especially good when eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers are abundant. Feel free to substitute vegetables based on what you have available.
Baked Eggplant
Baking is a tried-and-true way to prepare eggplant. From eggplant Parmesan to ratatouille, turning on the oven can be well worth it.
- Baking: For especially crispy baked eggplant, salting the slices first can draw out excess moisture, season the eggplant, and improve the finished texture. It may also make an older or more bitter eggplant taste milder. Read Impossibly Crispy Baked Eggplant for preparation tips and a crispy baked eggplant recipe.
- Pizza: Looking for a new pizza idea or an easy way to add more vegetables to a meal? Try this Ratatouille Flatbread. You can also use it as a starting point and substitute other seasonal vegetables for the tomato, zucchini, onion, and eggplant.
Eggplant is part of the nightshade family and naturally contains compounds called glycoalkaloids. Most people can enjoy eggplant without concern, but people who are sensitive to nightshades or following an anti-inflammatory diet may want to learn more about these compounds and decide what works best for them. Read more in the Weston A. Price Foundation article, Nightshades.
Eggplant Tips
- Eggplant does not like prolonged cold storage, so it is best used within a few days. Keep it in the coolest place in your kitchen, away from direct sunlight. If your kitchen is warm and you need to keep it longer, store it for a few days in the warmest part of the refrigerator.
- Eggplant comes in many varieties, including large globe eggplants, slender Asian varieties, small round eggplants, white eggplants, and striped varieties. Their textures and best uses can differ. Read this guide to Different Types of Eggplant to learn more.
Additional Notes
As always, these are tips, suggestions, and recipes that I have found and either love or want to try myself. There are dozens of other ways to enjoy eggplant. Get creative, have fun, and find the preparations that you and your family enjoy most.
Guest author: Lindsay Conaway originally wrote this article in 2024 while she was an undergraduate student in Nutritional Sciences, with a focus on Nutrition and Dietetics, at Penn State and an intern with the Employee Wellness Team at St. Luke’s University Health Network. She enjoys cooking and baking with whole-food ingredients and has a passion for learning about and sharing the benefits of different foods.
