Easy Roasted Eggplant (Aubergine) Pesto

Sliced roasted eggplant pesto is your new way of falling in love with eggplants. This recipe makes for a great vegetarian option, light lunch or side dish.

With no salting or draining the eggplants it's an easy, quick dish that was inspired by my Eggplant Beef Involtini and this Roasted Eggplant (Melanzane Aubergine) 

We are always in the mood for aubergine recipes. Melanzane, Aubergine and Eggplant are all the same thing.

So when we had a few of them I was in my food element and thoroughly enjoyed creating this recipe.

Now you have it here and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

Freshly created today, Saturday 03/08/2024 and it made a wonderful light lunch.

What is Eggplant Pesto?

It's baked eggplant slices adorned in a creamy ricotta pesto mix and fresh mozzarella cheese.

In this recipe we are using the oven to roast the eggplants and then we turn the oven to grill for a few seconds to brown the top.

What Does it Mean to Grill in Different Countries?

Different countries, different understanding BUT in this recipe I am referring to the top heating element inside the stove.

We, in South Africa, call it a grill, something that browns the top of your food.

I don't know what it's called all over the world, except in Italy it's referred to as arrosto roast/grill same thing and in America it's called a broiler.

Ingredients for Eggplant Pesto

Eggplant slices - One large eggplant or a medium eggplant. You may need 2 if small. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - For coating to bake and drizzle. Eggplant uses a lot of oil so be generous

Ricotta cheese - A lovely creamy filling. Not in the image above but in the recipe!

Lemon juice & Lemon zest - For a little acidity.

Pistachios - Walnuts or pine nuts can also be used. Toasted and chopped.

Fresh basil leaves - Perfect with pesto.

Pesto - I love homemade pesto though you can use a jar of store-bought pesto. Quality will determine the overall taste.

Fresh mozzarella - I used buffalo di mozzarella for this recipe. Any fresh mozzarella cheese (in water) will work.

Tomatoes - I used fresh Mediterranean tomatoes but any large salad tomatoes will work. You are looking for a solid texture that gives firm slices not soggy ones.

How to Make Eggplant Pesto Bake

The easy way, let's make eggplant bake!

Start with the Ricotta cheese - In a small bowl, mix a cup of ricotta cheese with 2 tablespoons of pesto.

Add salt to taste and the juice of half a small lemon, about 2 tablespoons.

Mix the riccotta and pesto together and when you are happy with the taste, set it aside.

Eggplant Prep - Rinse and slice the cap off the eggplant.

• Dry with paper towel and slice the eggplant lengthwise. Repeat with each half making 4 slices.

• You may need to slice a bit off the outside of the eggplant to make it level.

• Use a small sharp knife to score the inside flesh, they don't have to be any sort of order, the more natural the better. Besides, we covering it up it's just for flavor.

Season - Place the eggplant slices in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet.

• Season with salt and pepper and generously drizzle olive oil and brush it on.

Oven - Bake for 15 minutes (oven and thickness dependent) until cooked through and place on a rack to cool.

Toppings - Once the eggplant slices are cool enough to handle, spread a dollop or more of ricotta cheese mix and spread it out.

• Season with fresh blackpepper.

Tip: Wait for the eggplants to cool completely to prevent the fresh basil turning black.

Olive oil - Add a little olive oil over the basil leaves, this helps them brown and not burn. Place a slice of tomato over, season with salt and pepper and another drizzle of olive oil.

Grill - Place under the grill (broiler) for 3-5 minutes (oven dependent) or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.

Serve - Serve with an extra dollop of basil pesto, toasted pistachios, fresh cracked black pepper, flaky sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

What to Look For When Buying Egglants

Which eggplant to buy. I've seen some poor looking eggplants and trust me, you don't want those.

To start, make sure that the eggplant has a tight and solid skin, not blemished and wrinkled.

Globe eggplants (American eggplants) are wonderful because of their shape and length to slice but not always available everywhere. In which case, focus on the shiny bright skin without any dents.

Types of Eggplant

We (South Africa) have beautiful dark purple eggplants called Black Beauty.

Ive also repeatedly cooked with Globe eggplants and the lighter color stripe purple and baby globe eggplants (love those!).

Black Beauty and Globe Eggplants

For more information on types of eggplants and growing eggplants in South Africa I have found this site helpful.

We are adding eggplants to our fast growing vegetable and herb garden! Exciting times 🙂

Variations to Eggplant Pesto

Grilling eggplant slices - You can use the grill or roast cooking method for most eggplant recipes.

• For a quick method, any type of grilling pan or outside grill (barbecue) is best. I found it easier to grill in this recipe Eggplant Beef Involtini

• If using the oven, baking the eggplant can be done on a baking sheet, skillet, a rimmed baking sheet or directly on the oven rack.

Tip: Directly on the oven rack? Then place a sheet of parchment paper or foil to collect any drippings.

Basil pesto - There are a number of different pesto varities to try so you can change things up. Use walnut pesto, eggplant pesto, sun-dried tomatoes if you want to skip the pesto entirely!

Tomatoes - Besides salad tomatoes and Mediterranean tomatoes, you can also chop cherry tomatoes for this recipe.

Cheese - I have used ricotta cheese for the base, you can add parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese into the ricotta for a cheesy ricotta mix.

What is Buffalo di Mozzarella?

Fresh mozzarella made with milk from the Italian Buffalo as opposed to fresh mozzarella made with milk from a cow.

It's soft and delicate, smooth, fresh and the texture is evidently superior to regular fresh mozzarella. Buffalo mozzarella also has double the fat content. So it's creamy!

What to Serve with Eggplant Pesto

This eggplant pesto recipe is extremely versatile! Gluten-free and vegetarian, and can be served with crunchy ciabatta.

• A better idea is to slice the loaf down the middle and place the eggplant over the bread.
• You could place it back in the oven for a few minutes to grill (broil) before serving warm and melted.

My absolute favorite way to serve this baked eggplant pesto is to spoon homemade pesto onto the plate and place the eggplant over.

Add small side dishes around the table with toasted walnuts, pistachios, a mix of olives, an Olive Oil Bread Dip, crunchy bread and an Italian Antipasti.

• That's a great idea for snacking and exploring the pleasure of Mediterranean food!

How Long Does Roasted Eggplant Stay Good?

If you are wanting to store roasted eggplant that's been seasoned without any filling, then you can refrigerate for 4 days in an airtight container. Assemble with topping ingredients when you are ready to serve.

Try These Eggplant Recipes

You may also like these Italian recipes. All light summer options in less than 30 minutes!

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Please let me know what you think of this Eggplant Beef Involtini and don't forget to comment and rate below. I always love your feedback!