HEALTHY RECIPES COLLECTIONS

Healthy eggplant recipes that taste good—and are good for you!

Eggplant is cherished for its lovely purple skin and satisfying meaty texture. A very good source of fiber and potassium, as well as a good source of folate and magnesium, a cup of cooked eggplant has a mere 27 calories. However, eggplant has not always been appreciated. When the Moors brought eggplant to Spain in the 12th century, Europeans believed that this “apple of madness” caused insanity, leprosy and bad breath. Why the bad rep? Guilt by association: eggplants, like tomatoes, belong to the same family of plants that includes highly toxic belladonna. That’s likely why the shapely fruit (native to India and China) didn’t catch on as a valuable food source in Europe until nearly 300 years after it was introduced. Farmers’ markets are great places to search out different varieties of eggplant, like the long, slender Japanese eggplant and white egg-shaped eggplants. See our collection of eggplant recipes and explore this antioxidant-packed vegetable.

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Healthy Eggplant Recipes

Sides, Salads and Appetizers

• Baba Ganouj
• Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Salad
• Grilled Smoky Eggplant Salad

Main Dishes

• EatingWell’s Eggplant Parmesan
• Eggplant-Cheddar Bake
• Eggplant-Couscous Rolls
• Eggplant-Shallot Stew
• Grilled Eggplant Panini
• Grilled Pizza with Eggplant, Tomatoes & Feta
• Indian-Spiced Eggplant & Cauliflower Stew
• Lamb & Eggplant Ragu
• Mediterranean Baked Penne
• Polenta & Vegetable Bake
• Poor Man’s Steak (Bistecche dei Poveri)
• Rigatoni with Beef & Eggplant Ragu
• Roasted Ratatouille with Eggs & Cheese
• Roasted Vegetable & Feta Sandwiches
• Slow-Cooker Turkish Lamb & Vegetable Stew
• Thai Green Curry with Duck
• Turkey Cutlets with Spicy Eggplant Relish
• Ginger, Split Pea & Vegetable Curry (Subzi dalcha)
• Eggplant Parmesan Pizza
• Middle Eastern Chickpea Platter
• Grilled Chicken Ratatouille

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Eggplant Cooking Tips

Shopping tip: When buying eggplant, also known as aubergine, look for dark-purple skin and an even, smooth egg-like or globe shape. In general, look for medium-sized fruits that weigh about a pound—small, firm, shiny eggplants may be underdeveloped, and large, overripe ones can become foamy and bitter. Don't confuse underripe standard eggplants with Italian "baby" ones, however—these should be clearly labeled and are slightly sweeter and more tender than their larger counterparts. Other varieties of eggplant include the thinner, elongated light- to dark-violet Japanese and Chinese eggplants, several varieties of striped eggplants of varying shades, and white eggplants, which may give an indication of where the name originated.

Storage and preparation tips: Eggplants are fairly perishable and quite delicate, so handle gently to avoid bruising the flesh and store in the refrigerator in a paper or perforated plastic bag for 4 to 7 days, depending on initial freshness of the fruit. When you are ready to use the eggplant, keep in mind that the light flesh oxidizes very quickly and will begin to brown within minutes—a light brush of lemon juice will help prevent this.

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