Italian Grilled Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley

This grilled eggplant is a staple Italian side dish that does not disappoint! It's grilled in a grill pan until soft, and then layered with olive oil, garlic, and parsley. The best thing is that it can be prepped in advance, and tastes even better the next day (or two!) later.

Every time I go to Italy in the summer months, there is no shortage of this grilled eggplant dish in my Italian kitchen. People make it in their homes to serve as a side dish with meals, and it's always available in restaurants as a contorno (side dish). They're available so much, that one could almost get tired of them during those warm months. But who are we kidding, that's impossible because they're just too good.

Since this recipe is mostly served as a side dish, it pairs perfectly with mushroom chicken, or steak pizzaiola. Round the meal off with some bread (because I can't eat this grilled eggplant without bread!), and you have a full, simple Italian meal.

Salting the eggplant

Many people salt eggplant before cooking it to draw out moisture and ensure it won't be bitter once eaten. There is no need to salt the eggplant beforehand for this recipe. The eggplant goes into the grill pan completely dry, so salting it would make it wet, and it wouldn't grill well.

If you're using a local eggplant that hasn't been sitting around for a long time, it should not have a bitter taste to it. I only find eggplants are bitter when they are not local.

Grill pan is your best friend

The most common way to grill eggplant as a home cook is in a grill pan on the stove. I use one like this. You could also grill them on the barbecue.

Steps

Cut the eggplants into rounds.

Grill the eggplant rounds in a grill pan.

When you set the grilled eggplant aside, stack them on top of each other. This will help keep them warm, and also help them to continue to soften.

Layer the eggplants in a dish and top with salt, garlic, parsley, olive oil.

Storing

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. When ready to heat, simply remove the fridge and enjoy! This dish is meant to be eaten cold or a room temperature.

In fact, it tastes even better as it sits for a few days, since the eggplant will almost marinate and all the flavors of the olive oil, garlic and parsley will meld together.

Variations

• I used parsley in this recipe, but my friend Maria Claudia uses fresh marjoram instead of parsley. Her version is delicious too. Feel free to make it your own!
• Zucchini is another classic vegetable to grill during the Italian summer months. Follow this exact recipe, except use zucchini, and it will be delicious too! I love adding fresh mint to the grilled zucchini in addition to the parsley.

Recipe