A ripe eggplant has many health benefits, including a high amount of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. If you’re looking to incorporate this nutrient-dense veggie into your daily diet, use this guide to learn how to prepare eggplant for your favorite vegan, vegetarian, or meat dishes!
How to Trim an Eggplant?
Before learning how to chop an eggplant, you’ll first want to know how to trim it. Doing so helps you create a flat bottom that makes cutting the vegetable easier and safer. Here’s how to trim eggplant: Keep in mind that some recipes that use halved eggplant, such as my Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant, don’t require trimming beforehand.
Should I Peel Eggplant Before Using in a Recipe?
Eggplant skin is nutritious and soft once cooked, so peeling an eggplant isn’t necessary before slicing. However, if you’d prefer to peel your eggplant’s skin, you can do so with a vegetable peeler (affiliate link.) I recommend trimming it first (following the instructions above). You can either set it down horizontally on the cutting board, supporting it with your hand and peeling it along its length, or place the eggplant upright to peel it vertically.
How to Cut an Eggplant Crosswise?
Cutting eggplant crosswise (into rounds) is one of the most simple and easy ways to prepare it for cooking. Eggplant rounds are perfect to roast in the oven for a simple side dish or to use in recipes like my Baked Eggplant Parmesan. To cut eggplant crosswise, simply:
How to Slice an Eggplant Lengthwise?
Slicing eggplant lengthwise is another easy technique that yields longer strips instead of rounds. This technique is the best for grilling but is also required for various popular dishes. Here’s how to slice eggplant:
How to Cube an Eggplant?
Our final technique, dicing eggplant, yields small, fairly equally-sized cubes. Diced eggplant is ideal to use for stir-frying, pasta dishes, soups, and stews. Keep in mind that eggplant shrinks as it cooks, so you may want to cut it into larger cubes. If you’re wondering how to dice eggplant, here’s how:
How to Use Cut Eggplant in Recipes
Using only the three simple techniques outlined in this guide, you can prep an eggplant for use in endless recipes. This versatile veggie is perfect to serve roasted as a simple side dish or in crowd-pleasing, popular Italian recipes. Here are some ways to use your cut eggplant:
Use proper equipment: Before preparing your eggplant, make sure you have the proper equipment. Eggplants are fairly large, so you’ll want to use a large, sharp chef’s knife (affiliate link). Alternatively, you can also use a serrated knife, which will offer more control as you’re cutting. Always hold the eggplant firmly to avoid accidental cuts, and keep your fingers away from the sharp blade. To prevent slippage, it’s a good idea to use a sturdy, stable cutting board. Keep it fresh: If you aren’t planning on preparing your eggplant right away, store it in the vegetable drawer in your fridge. I recommend using it within two days and cutting it up right before you plan to use it. An eggplant will start to oxidize and turn brown soon after cutting it, but you can follow two methods to slow this process and keep it fresh. First, you can store it in the fridge in a bowl filled with cold water and salt. Alternatively, you can brush your slices with lemon juice and store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. Salt your eggplant: If, while cutting your eggplant, you realize it’s particularly juicy, you may want to consider salting it. This is especially true if you plan to roast or grill your slices and want to prevent them from getting soggy during the cooking process. Simply put, salting raw eggplants helps to draw out excess moisture from the eggplant while also eliminating bitter flavors. To learn more, check out my post on How to Salt Eggplant.
Cut crosswise (rounds): Once you cut your eggplant into rounds, you can make Roasted Eggplant Slices and Stovetop Eggplant with just a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper. For extra fun, dippable party food, make these Baked Breaded Eggplant Cutlets with panko bread crumbs. Finally, for everyone’s favorite dish, use your slices in a classic Eggplant Parmesan. Sliced lengthwise: Long strips of eggplant are an ideal pasta replacement in classic Italian recipes like Eggplant Lasagna and Eggplant Parm. For a lighter yet just as delicious take on Italian involtini, try my Eggplant Involtini. Lastly, for a fun, late summer side dish, use your eggplant slices to make Grilled Eggplant. Cubed: Chopped eggplant cooks up quickly in a pan and is ideal for pasta dishes like Eggplant Baked Ziti and Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta. Eggplant cubes are also perfect to use in veggie-based recipes like Ratatouille and Eggplant Stew!
Reader-Favorite Roasted Eggplant Recipes
Once you know how to cut up eggplant, you’re ready to use this yummy, nutrient-dense veggie in endless recipes! Here are some favorite cooked eggplant recipes to try:
Whole Roasted Eggplant Baba Ganoush Recipe Eggplant Yogurt Dip Fire Roasted Eggplant
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