Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini
Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini, a tasty oven-baked vegetable recipe with only 5 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. Enjoy as a side dish, on top of rice, or combined with a salad!
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Love zucchini? Love eggplant? Why not roast them together? Simply cut up your vegetables, toss them in oil and spices, then roast until golden brown. Make the most of your produce haul with this super easy roasted vegetable combination.
👉 Here’s why you should be baking zucchini and eggplant:
- It’s as simple as it gets. This recipe is ready to eat in just a few steps and uses ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge or pantry.
- It’s environmentally friendly. Roasting veggies is a great way to use up vegetables that are at risk of going to waste. You can also make it while eggplant and zucchini are in season, which is even better for the planet.
- It’s flexible. Any dried or fresh herb combination tastes great with roasted vegetables. They can be enjoyed as a side dish, or used as a topping for salads, bowls, or pizza. You can even mix roasted zucchini and eggplant into your favorite pasta.
Ready to learn how to roast zucchini and eggplant together? Let’s do it!
🍆 Ingredients you’ll need
This recipe requires just a few simple ingredients, including the following:
- Zucchini: One of our favorite summer vegetables and the base of this recipe.
- Eggplant: A tender vegetable with a mild and bitter taste. Its sponge-like properties absorb the flavors of whatever it is paired with.
- Olive oil: You will toss the veggies in olive oil, which brings out their delicious flavor and makes them extra crispy when roasted.
- Seasonings: We used garlic, salt, and pepper as the main seasonings in this recipe. You can also add fresh or dried herbs of your choice.
- Recommended tools: sheet pan, knife set, cutting board
🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Preheat oven + cut veggies
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). Get the veggies ready for roasting by washing and cutting them.
- To cut zucchini: Slice the ends off, then cut into 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) slices. Save the ends for food scrap vegetable stock!
- To cut eggplant: Slice the top and bottom off, then stand the eggplant up and cut thin 1-inch slices lengthwise. Then cut the slices into cubes of your desired size.
👉 Tip: We like to cut zucchini and eggplant into similar sized pieces. If they’re the same size, they will have similar cooking times and will be extra crispy!
2️⃣ Step Two: Toss veggies with spices on a roasting pan
Add the sliced zucchini and eggplant to a baking sheet. Using your hands or a spatula, toss with a small amount of olive oil until it completely covers the veggies.
Combine the vegetables with sliced garlic, salt, pepper and any other dried or fresh herbs of your choice.
3️⃣ Step Three: Oven-bake vegetables
Cook vegetables in the oven until tender and golden brown. Depending on your oven, this will take about 25 minutes.
Toss the zucchini and eggplant about 10-15 minutes in to make sure they cook evenly.
Remove vegetables from the oven and enjoy them immediately as a side dish. If you plan to mix them into salads, let them cool beforehand.
❓ Recipe questions + quick tips
Zucchini is high in water, which makes it more likely to become soggy. You can prevent this by during zucchini well after slicing, and seasoning it with salt before roasting. Salt helps draw water out of the vegetable and cooking it at a high temperature will allow more water to evaporate. Additionally, thicker slices of zucchini are less likely to become soggy.
Roasted eggplant is a very healthy food. Eggplant is a good source of fiber, and contains vitamins and minerals like potassium, folate, and manganese. It’s also high in disease-fighting antioxidants. Click here for more information about the nutrition content of eggplant.
There are a few factors that can increase the bitterness of roasted eggplant, including the size of the vegetable, how ripe it is, and whether the seeds are included. Smaller, more slender eggplants tend to be less bitter. Additionally, the more ripe the eggplant is, the more bitter it will be. You can reduce the bitterness of eggplant by removing the seeds before or after roasting. Another method is to season it with salt before cooking to help draw the water and bitter flavor out. Roasting eggplant along with other vegetables, spices, and seasonings can also help balance out the bitter flavor.
It’s not necessary to peel eggplant before roasting. The skin on most eggplants is edible and is where you get the majority of the fiber and antioxidants from the vegetable. Larger eggplants tend to have tough skin that can be difficult to eat. Before roasting, it is a good idea to assess the thickness of the skin and peel it if it’s too thick.
🌿 Herb + spice combination ideas
This recipe is simply prepared with just olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. However, there are so many different ways you can mix up the flavor of roasted vegetables. Here are some ideas:
- Sliced onion, garlic, and tomatoes: Combine zucchini and eggplant with onion, garlic, and tomatoes before roasting for extra color, flavor, and nutrients!
- Rosemary, salt, and pepper: Sprinkle fresh or dried rosemary over the vegetables, then add some salt and pepper to taste.
- Thyme, fresh basil, and lemon juice: Add new depths of flavor to roasted vegetables by mixing with thyme, then finishing them off with some fresh basil leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Parmesan and garlic: Zucchini and eggplant taste great with a mixture of parmesan and garlic. You can also try nutritional yeast for a plant-based cheese alternative.
🧊 How to store
One of the best things about roasted vegetables is that they’re so easy to make ahead and store. If you have leftovers, here’s how to maintain their quality and flavor in storage:
- Refrigerator storage: store vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer storage: For the best taste and texture, we don’t recommend freezing roasted vegetables as they will lose their texture when thawed.
♻️ Sustainable kitchen tips
We always have the environment in mind here at Fork in the Road. Here are some ideas for going green with this recipe:
Take advantage of zucchini and eggplant season. The best time to make this recipe is when zucchini and eggplant are at the height of their growing season. In most parts of the US, they are in season during the summer and fall months. Find out when they’re in season in your area here.
Set the veggie scraps aside. Rather than throwing the scraps from zucchini and eggplant in the garbage, keep them to use in food scrap vegetable stock, which is great to have on hand for making soup and other dishes. At the very least, veggie scraps should be tossed in the compost bin.
Grow the veggies in your garden. Zucchini and eggplant are fairly easy to grow on your own. This is a great step toward a sustainable lifestyle – there’s no need to travel anywhere when the veggies are growing in your own backyard!
👉 More roasted zucchini recipes
Looking for more roasted zucchini recipes? Try our other favorites:
- Roasted Carrots and Zucchini
- Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes
- Roasted Zucchini and Peppers
- Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant
- Herb Baked Zucchini and Potatoes
- Roasted Cauliflower and Eggplant
- Roasted Broccoli and Eggplant
Looking for more roasted eggplant? Try our Vegan Baked Eggplant Parmesan.
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Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons dried herbs oregano, basil, parsley, etc.
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prep veggies: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C), then wash and cut vegetables. Slice the ends off of zucchini, then cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 centimeter) slices. Slice the top and bottom off the eggplant, then stand the vegetable up and cut into 1-inch slices lengthwise. Then cut the eggplant slices into 1" cubes.
- Season vegetables: Place sliced zucchini and eggplant on a sheet pan and combine with a drizzle of olive oil. Once completely coated in oil, season the vegetables with sliced garlic, salt, pepper and any other dried or fresh herbs that you prefer.
- Roast vegetables: Bake veggies in the oven until soft and brown around the edges, which will take about 25 minutes. 10-15 minutes into cooking, toss the vegetables so they brown on all sides. Remove from the oven and serve immediately as a side dish, or let them cool and mix into salads.
Notes
- Tools needed: sheet pan, knife set, cutting board
- Prep ahead: Wash and cut vegetables in advance to reduce prep time before cooking.
- Leftovers and storage: Vegetables should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For best taste and texture, do not freeze and reheat.
- Nutrition notes: Nutrition information is estimated for only ingredients in the recipe, not the additional spice options given. This simple roasted zucchini and eggplant recipe is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.