It’s the simple recipes with the fresh ingredients that I love the most, like this Sauteed Eggplant Salad Recipe. Tender garlicky eggplant with red peppers and fresh parsley is just the delicious combo that has me coming back for more. It takes just 20 minutes to make and makes an awesome side dish or simple lunch and pairs perfectly with my sheet pan tofu shawarma recipe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy: 20 minutes, start to finish.
- One Pan: Easy clean up
- Simple and flavorful: The garlic and cumin are all you need to bring out the natural flavors of the fresh vegetables and herbs.
- Healthy Side Dish that everyone will love.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh parsley: I like copious amounts of fresh herbs in this dish…substitute with fresh oregano, basil or thyme…lots of it!
- Red pepper: Bell peppers are in season at the same time as fresh eggplant, and you can use whatever color you have.
- Olive oil: Dole it out, a bit at a time because the eggplant is like a sponge and will soak up however much you use!
Cut Eggplant into cubes
No need to peel the eggplant in this recipe. Cut off the top and tail of the eggplant. Place cut side down on the cutting board and then make ½″ vertical cuts all the way through.
Now cut into long vertical strips that are ½″ thick.
Next, cut across so that ½″ cubes are formed.
Continue in the same way with the second eggplant. You will have about 8 cups of eggplant cubes.
Prep
This sauteed eggplant salad doesn’t take long to make on the stovetop, so it’s best to prep all the vegetables before you begin.
Separate the parsley leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the leaves and set aside.
Smash the garlic cloves by pressing down with a chef’s knife. Peel off the papery skins and then roughly chop.
Saute
Eggplant is like a sponge when it comes to liquid, like oil. That is why I like to drizzle on the oil in phases. It helps prevent sticking every step of the way. It also helps to use a well seasoned cast iron skillet.
Heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the cubed eggplant. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes.
Add the red peppers, cumin, salt and the last tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir well. Continue to cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes. The entire mixture will shrink to about ⅓ of the original.
Sprinkle on ¼ cup of the chopped parsley and all of the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Give another stir and make sure any larger pieces of eggplant are tender.
Turn off heat. Sprinkle on remaining ¼ cup parsley and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- If your eggplants are large and you get significantly more than 8 cups of cubed eggplant, you will need a bit more oil, cumin and salt
- Use your largest frying pan. The eggplant will shrink as it cooks, but it’s a lot at the beginning.
- Do not add water to the pan if it becomes dry. The eggplant will soak it up and become rubbery. Add the oil in phases as suggested above and stir frequently to keep the eggplant cubes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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📖 Recipe
Sauteed Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large eggplants about 8 cups cubed
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped and divided
Instructions
- Finely chop parsley. Smash garlic cloves and then roughly chop. Set aside prepped garlic and parsley.
- Cut off root end and bottom of eggplant. Set flat on a cutting board on the bottom cut side. Make ½" slices through the top. Lay them flat and cut into ½" strips and then across to make ½" cubes.
- Set heavy skillet over medium heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss in the eggplant cubes, then drizzle on another 1 tablespoon oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring a couple of times. The pan will seem super full. It's ok and temporary, as the eggplant will shrink as it cooks.
- Meanwhile, dice the red pepper. Add to the pan with the eggplant along with cumin and salt and drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil into the pan.
- Cook, stirring frequently to prevent eggplant from sticking to the bottom. Use a heavy spatula to scrape any bits off as you cook.
- When eggplant is tender (about 6-8 minutes), sprinkle on ¼ cup of the parsley and all of the garlic. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.
- Turn off heat and stir in remaining ¼ cup parsley. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
How to store
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or on the stove until just heated through.
- Leftovers can also be eaten cold or at room temperature.
- Freezing will change the texture of the eggplant. I do not recommend freezing.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Celine Phang
Delicious and colourful! Daughter loved it even though she’s not fond of bell pepper 🙂
Thanks!
Debra Klein
Fantastic! This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplant!
Elizabeth
This was my first experience preparing eggplant. I believe this will be a regular side for my family going forward. YUMMY!!! Thanks so much.
Debra Klein
Awesome! This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplant…and so easy. Glad you tried it!
Mina
A perfect side dish to our favorite main dishes. We have loads of eggplants right now and I’m glad I bumped into this recipe.
Debra Klein
Yay…love this for you Mina.
Jerika
Yum! So excited to prepare this Sauteed Eggplant Salad in the morning.:) I’m sure my family will love it, with all the yummy combo ingredients on it. Thanks!
Elizabeth
Yummy way to have eggplant – thanks for the recipe!
Mary
Great use for the abundance of eggplant from ONE plant in my garden. Works so well as a side dish for baked chicken thighs. The cumin works in this recipe. Great flavor.
Debra Klein
Lucky you to have fresh eggplant in your garden!
Gloria
Eggplant is one of the odd ducks. People like it or don’t, there is no middle man LOL. I happen to like it, so I will give this a try. Sounds like a great side dish to a bbq meal.