Grilled Eggplant Salad

A cozy summer side dish.

We’ve just moved to Portugal and it’s the tail end of summer, which means the beginning of more warm salads. This grilled eggplant dish is easy to whip up in 15 minutes. It’s great as a side to any seafood, poultry or vegan meat dish. It’s juicy, crunchy and beautiful to look at as well… which helps whenever you’re trying to eat more salads!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 2 eggplants 

  • 200g sun dried tomatoes (chopped in quarters)

  • Baby spinach 

  • Pepitas 

Condiments: Paprika & mixed herbs 

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Method

 1. CUT eggplants into slices around 2cm wide. 

 2. SEASON with olive oil, paprika and mixed herbs. 

 3. HEAT up a grill pan and add olive oil. Wait until it’s sizzling. 

 4. GRILL eggplant slices for around 2-3 minutes each side. You want it to soften and show the grill marks. The eggplants should be nice and juicy. After all the eggplants are cooked, remove and place on a plate. 

 5. IN the same pan, add in the pepitas and let them cook for 2 minutes. You want them lightly toasted. 

 6. LAY a bed of baby spinach on a plate. Add the slices of eggplant on top (you can even cut them in half lengthways again so they are thinner in width. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and pepitas. 

Tips:

  • Make sure not to cut the eggplants too thinly, otherwise they become too flimsy when you grill them.

  • You can use a panini toaster or even a normal pan if you don’t have a grill pan. I just like the grill marks!

  • Canned sun dried tomatoes are still ok to use, but fresh from the deli is even better.

Lizbeth Pal-DevelterComment