Easy Grilled Eggplant Salad with tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and green onions. This eggplant salad is a great side dish for your favorite grilled meats!
This eggplant salad recipe is just what you need to perk up your summer staples like Broiled Shrimp or Garlic Crusted Chicken. The recipe was inspired by one of those tastings in the grocery store and it’s a simple summer side dish.
Eggplant may look like it’s difficult to deal with but it is really not. You don’t even have to peel it for this eggplant salad, though most of the time I do prefer to remove the peeling.
The seeds are tender and edible so you don’t have to seed it and for this recipe, all you do is slice it. And best of all, it’s good for you! Check out the Health Benefits of Eggplant here.
Tools needed for grilled eggplant salad:
- Baking sheets – these are the only ones I use!
- Italian seasoning – I use this in so many recipes.
- Non-stick grill pan – this one is dishwasher and oven safe.
- Electric indoor grill – one of Oprah’s favorites and affordable!
Tips
- Plan ahead so you can allow the sliced eggplant to sit for about 20 minutes to release some of the moisture, otherwise your eggplant salad will be mushy.
- You can use a grill pan on the stove or you can even roast the eggplant slices in the oven. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400° for about 30 minutes.
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Grilled Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 large tomatoes, 5 plum tomatoes, or a pint of grape tomatoes, chopped and seeded
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, divided
- 2 teaspoons good quality Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Spread eggplant slices on paper towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle eggplant with kosher salt and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Allow eggplant to sit for about 20 minutes to let some of the moisture seep out.
- Preheat grill. Place eggplant slices on grill and grill about 4 minutes per side, until tender and slightly browning.
- Combine tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients (except eggplant) in a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
- You can chop the grilled eggplant and mix it into the tomato mixture, or you can place the grilled eggplant slices directly on plates and spoon the tomato mixture on top.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over each serving of eggplant salad.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This Grilled Eggplant Salad recipe was originally published June 30, 2014, and on May 7, 2020, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
Looking for more eggplant recipes? You can never go wrong with Baked Eggplant Parmesan.
