Summer means that we have a lot of extra vegetables, and we are grilling them more than ever! Most people think of grilling meats, but grilled veggies like these Eggplant Bruschetta Bites are a treat on the Big Green Egg. If left to his own devices, Jason would scrap the oven and just grill.
If I asked you to tell me the first thing you think of when I say “eggplant,” I bet you would say “parmesan!” It’s just a natural jump, isn’t it? Eggplant has so many nutritional benefits that we should keep it on our menu rotation. The skin alone has antioxidants, fiber, magnesium and potassium. Don’t peel eggplant or you will lose all of the nutrients that are hidden in there!
Now, the inside of the eggplant has researchers celebrating as it increases heart health, lowers cholesterol, shows signs of preventing cancer cells growing and helps with cognitive health. Sign me up!!! Do a little research yourself on this fantastic vegetable and you will be like us and adding it into your diet more!
Eggplant is a pesky little guy though! It will start to brown very fast. Don’t let the color bother you as it doesn’t impact the taste at all.
How to Grill the Eggplant Bruschetta Bites
The nice thing with eggplant is that it only takes a few minutes to grill. Set your grill up for 350 degrees and let it come up to temperature.
I use a GrillGrate on top of the grating as I really like how the fins provide excellent char marks on the vegetables.
Slice the eggplant into ¼” slices and coat both sides with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking on the grill.
Grill each side for 2-3 minutes and you’re done!
Adding the Bruschetta
It is time to pull out your favorite bruschetta and spread a dollop on top of each circular piece of eggplant and then a small piece of goat cheese. For this one pictured, we used a roasted red pepper bruschetta and loved it. It is so full of flavor all locked up in a bit sized pieces.
If you want to add a tad more fun to this dish, add a sprinkle of parmesan to the top!!
Another great eggplant dish we recently posted about this summer was the Eggplant Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Salad. Always feel free to substitute Feta cheese for the Goat cheese. Both are fabulous with this recipe. Super easy and can be made indoors with just a tiny bit of adjustments! Saute them in a pan on the stove top at medium high heat for 2-3 minutes each side and add tomatoes and goat cheese.
Can I make this indoors?
Absolutely! Don’t let the weather stop you from making this! Slice the eggplant just like you did for grilling. Heat up the saute pan on the stovetop to medium high. Add a little bit of olive oil and saute the slices for 2-3 minutes each side. You will notice that the eggplant will soak up the olive oil quickly and if you do more than one batch, you will have to keep adding oil as the pan will be bone dry. Place the eggplant slices on a plate and add the bruschetta just like you did after grilling! Equally delicious!!!
Grilled Eggplant, Bruschetta and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch slices
- 4-6 tablespoons of bruschetta use your favorite from jar
- 4-6 tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Heat grill to 350 degrees.
- Brush eggplant with olive oil and place on grill. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes.
- Once you take the eggplant off of the grill, dollop the jarred bruschetta over the top of eggplant and sprinkle goat cheese as a final touch.