Let us have a look at how you can cook this delicious vegetable staple using an oven. It is a perfect vegetable to cook as it has a very distinct creamy texture and smoky flavor, among other things. At the very least, you have a variety of easy recipes with different ways of heat-treating eggplant in the oven.
How long to bake eggplant at 400?
Let’s have a quick run through all the options on how long to cook eggplant in the oven depending on the recipe variation. As you know, you can have eggplant cooked in different forms: whole, cut in halves and slices:
How long to cook the whole eggplant in the oven? Bake whole eggplant for 35 to 45 minutes at 200 °С/400 °F in the oven. To get a more squishy texture for a dip, for example, increase the baking temperature to 220 °С/425 °F. Do not forget to pierce the plant with a fork to prevent it from exploding in the oven.
How long to roast eggplant halves in the oven? Cook eggplant halves for 35 minutes at 200 °С/400 °F in the oven. See the whole recipe for this tasty side dish with all the tips below.
Eggplant slices cooking time in the oven: Eggplant slices should be roasted at least for 20 minutes in the oven at 200 °С/400 °F; to get the crispy add 5 more minutes and make sure not to cut them more than 1/3 inches.
Learn how to pan-fry eggplant on the stove – Easy Eggplnat Slices Recipe.
All the recipes below are just a starting point for you to get to know the delicious vegetable that is perfect for baking and roasting in the oven. You always are free to experiment and add your favorite seasoning. However, I would highly recommend you stick to the mentioned oven baking temperatures and time for the first-timers, to see how your oven is going to cook the plant.
How to roast the whole eggplant in the oven?
This way of cooking eggplant is the least popular, so to speak. However, I find that you need to bake the vegetable whole to get a more fragrant eggplant deep, for example. So, let’s see how with several simple steps to follow, you can cook a whole eggplant in the oven:
- Preheat oven at 200 °С/400 °F.
- Take two medium-sized eggplants and nicely rinse them under cold running water. Pat them dry with paper towels.
- Pierce skin of each eggplant in several places and on every side with a toothpick or a fork.
- Line a baking tray with foil or a baking sheet to prevent it from sticking to the tray while cooking.
- Keep cooking the vegetables for 35 to 45 minutes (depending on the size of the vegetable).
- Take baked eggplants out of the oven and let them cool down a bit before using them in other dishes.
For a quick dip, add salt to your taste, pour a teaspoon of olive oil, and sprinkle a teaspoon of dry herbs mix (basil, thyme, and dill are among favorite options). Enjoy!
Check out some other recipes with eggplant on my site that I am sure you are going to love:
How to roast eggplant halves in the oven
This roasted eggplant recipe is one of my favorite dishes to have. It is a huge lifesaver because you literally spend 5 minutes making a tasty vegetable dish to serve at your family dinner. Do not get rid of its skin after roasting, as it is high in antioxidants:
- Preheat oven at 200 °С/400 °F.
- Rinse eggplants under the running water and pat them with paper towels until dry. Cut the stem and the bottom of the vegetable off. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and make several diagonal cut lines on the surface of the half.
This step is optional. There are several ways to prevent the eggplant from forming a bitter taste after cooking. The first option is to buy a young vegetable of a small size to roast in the oven. The second option is to sweat eggplants before roasting. However, you need to have spare 30 minutes before even turning on the oven. Cut eggplant in half and sprinkle a pinch of salt over every eggplant half. Leave eggplant to sit for 30 minutes until liquid droplets form on its surface. Get rid of it by gently squeezing the liquid, then rinsing the vegetable and patting it with paper towels.
- Brush the surface with olive oil. I find that silicon brush is most helpful for this purpose.
- Spread the baking sheet over the baking tray and place eggplant halves face down.
- Roast the plant for 35 minutes. In the end, eggplant skin will collapse and gets wrinkled.
- Season with salt and herbs while the eggplant is still hot. Let it cool down before serving.
When I first came across the recipe, it had rosemary added before placing it into the oven. Unfortunately, it got stuck to the surface of the baking paper, burned, and gave not have the aroma I was expecting from it.
Roasted eggplant slices recipe
My love affair with eggplant started definitely with roasted eggplant slices. It is such an easy and tasty snack to serve at a picnic, barbecue, or any family gathering. Serve it with your favorite dip or sauce and enjoy all the benefits of the vegetable at the same time. And remember not to cut its skin off.
Oven Baked Eggplant Slices Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- olive oil
- salt to taste
- dry herbs, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 200 °С/400 °F.
- Always clean your vegetables before cooking. Rinse the eggplant under running water and cut it into slices no more ½ inches thick (about 1 cm). However, to make the slices even crispier, make them certainly thinner. Do not cut the stem first thing; it is will be much easier to cut the plant if you have something to hold on to.
- Put eggplant slices on a baking tray, leaving some space between them. Smear with olive oil (silicon brush will be a very helpful thing here), sprinkle salt, and seasoning (dry herbs, garlic powder, and freshly ground black pepper). Turn the slices upside down and repeat the steps.
- Roast eggplant slices for 20-25 minutes. For even caramelization, flip the side in the middle of cooking.
- Serve with your favorite dip. Enjoy!
Tartar sauce is definitely my favorite dip to have with roasted eggplant!
You can cut eggplant 30 minutes before cooking it in the oven, spread slices on any flat surface, and sprinkle with salt. In such a way, you can prevent bitterness that can form after cooking the plant. Let the slices sit for 30 minutes until some liquid forms on their surface. Get rid of it with paper towels and then proceed with the recipe. However, you will need to skip adding extra salt as slices have soaked some in already.
I hope that my guide on cooking eggplant in the oven was helpful and you found the information that you have been looking for. I would appreciate it so much if you would share the article with your friends!
