Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes

While the eggplant prep takes an hour or so, its creamy texture and rich flavor are well worth it!

The recipe itself takes minutes to prepare. For added richness, swirl a knob of butter into the tomato sauce just before adding the eggplant. This dish can be enjoyed as a side dish with your favorite protein or enjoyed as a main course when topped with a fried or poached egg.

Ingredients
2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, cut in thin julienne strips
2 teaspoons Melissa’s My Grinder Organic Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Melissa’s chopped garlic
2 tablespoons white wine (or broth)
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, or 1 (15-ounce can) fire-roasted tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley or fresh basil


Instructions
Prepare eggplant:
Wash and dry the eggplant. Cut off stem end—Pierce skin with a fork to prevent eggplant from bursting during roasting.

For stovetop roasting or grilling: Place eggplant directly on grill rack or over gas burner at medium heat. Grill for about 18 minutes, frequently turning to cook evenly. Remove from heat when eggplant has become very soft. Set roasted eggplant aside to cool.

For oven roasting: Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 15 x 10-inch baking sheet with olive oil spray. Place eggplant on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, turning eggplant three or four times to roast evenly. Remove from oven when eggplant becomes soft. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard eggplant skin. Remove most of the seeds and cut eggplant into chunks. There will be about 3 cups. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for three minutes or until softened but not browned. Add Italian seasoning and garlic and sauté, stirring, for one minute longer until fragrant but not browned.

Carefully add wine or broth and simmer until liquid is well reduced but not dry. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for two minutes or until the juices have reduced slightly.

Add the eggplant chunks and stir well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer or until the eggplant is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve hot.

Eggplant Factoid: Eggplants have a dimple at the blossom end, which can be round or oval. An oval dimple is usually shallower and often indicates fewer seeds and a meatier, more desirable eggplant. A deeper, round dimple frequently means many seeds, especially if the eggplant is large and mature.