Four Ways to Turn Eggplant Into Something Worth Serving

Eggplant peaks in July and August — and unlike most summer vegetables, it actually improves with heat. Roast it, grill it, slice it thin and roll it up. These four recipes show the range: mini pizzas that use eggplant rounds as the base, a bruschetta that comes together in 25 minutes, elegant roulades stuffed with ham and caciocavallo, and a roasted eggplant with burrata and chili oil that looks like a restaurant dish but isn't.

Eggplant Mini Pizzas use round eggplant slices as the base instead of dough — topped with tomato purée, mozzarella, oregano, and basil, then baked until the cheese melts. They go in the oven twice for about 35 minutes total, so plan accordingly. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and the kind of thing that disappears fast from a platter.

Pro tip: let the mozzarella drain well before topping so the slices don't get soggy in the oven.

Grilled Eggplant Bruschettas are the quickest thing on this list — eggplant halves grilled until the flesh softens and takes on a smoky edge, then scooped out, seasoned with mint, white wine vinegar, and olive oil, and piled onto toasted baguette. Vegan, 25 minutes, and the kind of bruschetta that makes people forget about the tomato version.

Pro tip: make crosshatch cuts in the flesh before grilling so the heat penetrates faster and the pulp comes out easier.

Eggplant Roulades are the comfort food option — thin eggplant slices baked until pliable, then rolled around cooked ham and caciocavallo cheese, arranged in a dish with tomato sauce, and finished under the broiler. The caciocavallo melts into the tomato and the eggplant stays tender. Serve warm or at room temperature — they hold well and work just as well the next day.

Pro tip: slice the eggplant as thin as possible — about the thickness of a nickel — so the slices are flexible enough to roll without cracking.

Roasted Eggplant with Burrata and Chili Oil is the most impressive of the four — whole eggplants roasted at high heat until completely soft, split open, seasoned with Maldon salt, then topped with a ball of burrata, toasted pine nuts, wild fennel, and a homemade habanero chili oil. The heat of the chili against the cool, milky burrata is the combination that makes this dish memorable.

Pro tip: if you can't find wild fennel, fresh basil works just as well — the dish still holds.

The roasted eggplant with burrata is the one to make when you want someone to remember dinner. The roulades are the ones that disappear fastest — people always ask for the recipe. The bruschetta converts anyone who thinks they don't like eggplant. Start with whichever one you have time for tonight, and work through the rest before the season ends.