The first words out of my mouth when I tasted this grilled eggplant recipe just happened to be: Excuse me what?! I was expecting it to be good, but like… not this good? Not this much flavor? Not quite so tender? Not so ughhhhhh let’s have grilled eggplant three times this week? The combination of flavorful ingredients really does the eggplant a lot of favors here: lots of fresh garlic, dried oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. It takes just a couple minutes to whisk together and coat the eggplant in, resulting in a super tasty grilled summer side dish that I think you’re going to love. And in total, this recipe takes about 15 minutes, not including the time it takes to preheat the grill. It just happens to be vegan, Whole30 compliant, paleo, and generally super healthy, too. Ding ding ding!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
The eggplant is coated in a marinade of fresh garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil, for a super flavorful side dish for other summer dishes. It takes only about 6-10 minutes to grill, 15 minutes total, making this eggplant perfect alongside a grilled main course. The grilled eggplant turns out beautifully golden and so, so delicious. It’s the perfect blend of garlicky and bright, herbed, salted. Just so much goodness. This recipe is naturally healthy, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
How to Make It
Start by preheating your grill on high heat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Prep your eggplant: cut 2 medium eggplants into about 3/4″ slices and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet or another surface. Stir together your marinade: oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and salt. When you’re ready to grill, brush both sides of the eggplant with the marinade, making sure to layer on some of the fresh, minced garlic. Avoid brushing on the marinade ahead of time to prevent soggy eggplant. When your grill is ready, use tongs to carefully place each slice of eggplant onto the grill, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook 3 minutes then gently lift up one piece to see how cooked and how strong the grill marks are on the underside. If you want darker grill marks, let the eggplant continue to be grilled for 2-3 minutes longer, then flip. Otherwise, flip all slices of eggplant and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a fork. Don’t overcook, or you’ll end up with mushy grilled eggplant!
What does this dish taste like?
Grilled eggplant is unlike many other preparations of the aubergine. I find it to be firmer but still tender, not watery and loaded with flavor. It might actually be my all-time favorite eggplant recipe, although I do love my baba ganoush!
Other Recipes You’ll Love:
Baked Potatoes on the Grill Quick Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)(Opens in a new browser tab) Grilled Red, White, and Blue Potato Skewers with Ranch Dressing Grilled Ribs (Whole30)
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