Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (2024)

Wondering what to make with eggplant? This quick and easy pan-fried eggplant recipe is a one pan meal that’s delicious! Packed with veggies and grain it’s healthy and super tasty! Make this easy eggplant recipe!

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (1)

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This is the ultimate eggplant recipe to have! Made from basic ingredients and cooked in one-pot, this EASY eggplant recipe can be served SO many ways! It goes as a meal alone, side, spread, salad–you name it! Delicious HOT or COLD!

Perhaps this can even make a good canning recipe! I’m loving this easy eggplant recipe! Altered from Sveta’s Recipes this vegetable blend eggplant dish comes together easily and requires just some stirring once it hits the skillet. My mother-in-law has made it numerous times this past month and it’s probably because this eggplant recipe is quick and tasty to put together. It’s one of those dishes you could enjoy eating cold or hot.

The skillet roasted method creates creamy eggplant chunks and the rice gives a nice little boost of texture to the pillowy soft veggies. The ultimate eggplant recipe to have because it consists of basic ingredients and tastes, “eating out of the spoon DELICIOUS”!

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (2)

INGREDIENTS for easy eggplant recipe:
  • 3 small eggplants, cut into chunks
  • 4 medium sized tomatoes, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 large red peppers, cut into chunks
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1 1/2 TBSP vinegar
  • 1 1/2 TBSP salt
  • 1 1/2 TBSP sugar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2/3 cup uncooked white rice (jasmine or Botan Calrose Rice)

NOTE: Add 2 jalapeno peppers to make it on the spicy side.

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (3)

How to make this easy eggplant recipe:

1. Combine all the ingredients into a deep non-stick skillet or pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil 8 minutes, stirring often.

2. Then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes mixing occasionally. The mixture should darken in color and veggies should be very soft.

3. Serve warm or cold. Keep refrigerated.

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (4)

DO YOU HAVE TO PEEL EGGPLANT BEFORE YOU COOK IT?

No, but it is said that the skins on an older and bigger eggplant become more bitter so it is best to eat the skins on smaller (younger) eggplants. The skins should get tender during the cooking stage so it’s really a matter of preference and how much dark texture you want to see in your dish.

IS SALTING THE EGGPLANTS REQUIRED BEFORE COOKING?

No, but it supposedly helps with the bitterness by releasing its natural juices after the addition of salt. If choosing to salt before using, some draining, rinsing, and patting dry is required and in my opinion, that’s an extra procedure to be doing so to avoid bitter-tasting eggplants opt for smaller ones (younger) at the store.

HOW DO YOU COOK AN EGGPLANT?

There are SO many ways to cook eggplants. They could be baked (hollowed out and stuffed with meat, rice or other fillings) stewed, fried, roasted, pickled, grilled, and pan-fried. They do contain 92% of water and are capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fat and sauces, making for some rich dishes.

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (5)

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Easy Eggplant Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 38 minutes minutes

Total Time: 58 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Alyona Demyanchuk

This is an easy eggplant recipe to have using a melody of fresh vegetables! It's such a simple dish cooked in one pot and can be served in so many ways, including as a meal alone, a side dish, tasty spread, or cold salad--you name it! Delicious HOT or COLD!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs eggplants (3 small eggplants, cut into chunks)

  • 1 1/2 lbs tomatoes (4 medium sized, diced)

  • 1 onion (diced)

  • 1 clove garlic (crushed)

  • 2 large red bell peppers (cut into chunks)

  • 2 carrots (grated)

  • 1 1/2 TBSP white distilled vinegar

  • 1 1/2 TBSP salt

  • 1 1/2 TBSP granulated sugar

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • 2/3 cup white rice (jasmine rice or short-grain white rice)

  • 2 Jalapeno peppers* (diced)

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients into a deep non-stick skillet or pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil 8 minutes, stirring often.

  • Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes mixing occasionally. The mixture should darken in color and veggies should be very soft.

  • Serve warm or cold. Keep refrigerated.

Notes

Jalapeno peppers are optional if you like mild heat.

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1servingCalories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 1328mgPotassium: 580mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 4597IUVitamin C: 72mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (6)

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Categories

  • Quick Dinners
  • Side Dishes

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111 comments

  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (7)

    • Sherry

    I have made this about 3 times. Delicious. Even our teen grandchildren liked it. They kept saying to a sibling, try it, it’s good. Sounding slightly surprised.😜. I love that I have all the ingredients and it’s stinking easy. Thanks for this recipe.

    • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (8)

    • Lydia McCollum

    I made this recipe today with eggplant, peppers and tomatoes from our garden and it was delicious! It was easy to prepare and my husband said it’s a keeper. He even said he’d choose it over eggplant parmesan I made last week!

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (9)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      That’s wonderful! I’m happy you enjoyed the dish!

      • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (10)

    • Martha Adamd

    I was very skeptical of this dish, but it turned out really good. A good summertime dish and it was so easy to prepare

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (11)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Happy to hear that, Martha.

      • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (12)

    • Barbara

    Absolutely delicious. I am learning to cook tasty meals and this is great. That small amount of vinegar and I added Candy Crisp Jalapenos. It added the sugar and the heat all at once. I used Rice Vinegar as I didnt have distilled and it has an asian dish flavor. Thank you.

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (13)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Interesting Barbara! Thanks for sharing!

      • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (14)

    • Liz

    Great recipe! I love it. Easy to make and you can make to your own preferences.

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (15)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Wonderful, Liz!

      • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (16)

    • Catalina

    Could I replace the rice for quinoa?

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (17)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      I think that would be fine.

      • Reply
  • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (18)

    • KJ HENISA

    So Good. I was a little hesitant about not sauteeing the Onions, etc first but it worked fine. I know these veggies would produce enough liquid to cook everything. I did added a pinch of cinnamon & cumin plus 1 tsp of oregano & Italian seasoning each. This could also be a main course with a protein added in. Thanks for this recipe. I get Japanese eggplants all the time at my nearby farmers market. I make a lot of mixed fresh veggie sautés .

    • Reply
    • Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (19)

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      You are welcome, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!

      • Reply

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Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Easy Eggplant Recipe (One-Pan Dinner) - Alyona’s Cooking? ›

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry before cooking.

What is the secret to cooking eggplant? ›

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry before cooking.

How do you fry eggplant without it getting soggy? ›

Start by salting the eggplant slices and letting them rest before cooking. The salt draws some of the interior moisture to the surface of the eggplant. A thorough pat with paper towels before breading the eggplant is essential to getting rid of that moisture and preventing soggy slices.

What draws out bitterness in eggplant? ›

Salt and rest: Slice the eggplant into your desired shape and sprinkle salt over the slices or cubes. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. The salt will draw out some of the bitter compounds.

Is it necessary to peel eggplant before cooking? ›

While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled. When in doubt, the answer to, "Do you peel eggplant before cooking?" is yes, peel it. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.

What happens if you don't salt eggplant before cooking? ›

Older recipes call for salting eggplant to draw out the bitter juices, but today's eggplants are less bitter (unless very large), so salting is largely unnecessary. It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream.

Why do you put an egg in eggplant? ›

Eggplant-type names

First recorded in 1763, the word "eggplant" was originally applied to white cultivars, which look very much like hen's eggs (see image). Similar names are widespread in other languages, such as the Icelandic term eggaldin or the Welsh planhigyn ŵy.

What oil should I use to fry eggplant? ›

Heat 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until hot enough for frying. The ideal temperature for frying eggplant is about 365-375 degrees F.

Which cooking method is most appropriate for eggplant? ›

Eggplant is a vegetable with a creamy-dense texture making it a perfect vehicle for baking, frying, breading, sautéing, pureeing, and more. With its endless varieties in color (purple to white), size (large to small), shape (portly to slender), and flavor (savory to sweet), there's no end to the recipes you can use.

What is the most popular way to eat eggplant? ›

Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Eggplants
  1. Yes, You Can Curry It! Cut eggplant into cubes and add to your favorite curry sauce and simmer until tender. ...
  2. Stir-Fry. ...
  3. Baba Ganoush.
  4. Roast, Peel and Serve over Pasta. ...
  5. Eggplant Pizza! ...
  6. Bread, Bake and Serve. ...
  7. A New Kind of Kebob. ...
  8. Eggplant Lasagna.

When not to use eggplant? ›

Bad eggplant looks wrinkly and dull-colored. Squishy texture and a rotten odor are other common signs of bad eggplant. Fresh eggplant lasts 2-3 days at room temperature, 5 days in the refrigerator, and 8-12 months in the freezer. Eggplant that turns brown after you slice it is okay to eat.

How do you cook eggplant so it's not spongy? ›

“The absorptiveness of eggplant can be reduced by collapsing its spongy structure before frying,” he writes. Which you can do by microwaving it before frying (!) or salting slices that'll draw out the water and close up those air pockets, giving you a firmer flesh to work with.

What makes eggplant taste good? ›

The oil still left in the eggplant tissues contributes to the soft, buttery texture that's so appealing. Oil also carries the essence of added herbs and spices, so that eggplant dishes can become rich with the aromas and heady flavors of onions, peppers, anchovies, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice.

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