A perfect topping for toast or a sandwich, Marinated Eggplant and Onion, is an easy way to upgrade anything on bread! It's so delicious and can be stored for your sandwiches all week.
Looking for more delicious toppings? Try our Avocado Lime Crema, EASY Ricotta Bruschetta, or Mascarpone Toast with Lox.
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Why this Recipe?
- It's an easy way to make a healthy and delicious topping for sandwiches, toast, or crackers.
- It uses fresh seasonal ingredients that you can source locally
- It stores well in the fridge and it's a great make-ahead option for weekdays!
- The flavors only get richer and more delicious as the eggplant and onions marinate during the week!
Substitutions and Ingredient Notes
- Olive Oil. High-quality extra virgin olive oil is key for a recipe like this, similar to pesto like our Artichoke Pesto Pasta. The majority of the flavor is going to come from the olive oil. If the olive oil is generic or rancid, the whole dish will be too.
- Onions. You can substitute shallots for onions for a more subtle flavor.
- Bay Leaves. Bay leaves can be left out, or you can substitute basil.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Marinated Eggplant and Onion
Step 1: Preheat the grill to high heat. Slice the eggplant into ½ inch slices.
Step 2: Chop the onions and place them on a sheet of aluminum foil. Season with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Step 3: Wrap the aluminum foil around the onions into a pouch.
Step 4: Lay the eggplant out and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Lower the heat on the grill to medium and place all the eggplant on the grill. Place the onions on the grill. Grill the eggplant on each side for about 4 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the eggplant from the grill and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Chop the eggplant into half-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl.
Step 8: Add the grilled onions to the bowl.
Step 9: Season the mixture with Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and crushed garlic. Add in 1 cup of olive oil and juice from half a lemon and mix well.
Step 10: Transfer the mixture to mason jars and marinate in the fridge overnight. Enjoy the following day on toast or with ricotta cheese.
This is a great topping to serve with crostini or sourdough toast. I like to serve Zucchini alla Scapece over toast like this too, and both of these recipes are great appetizers or side dishes to serve with dinner.
Pro-Tips
- If you are pan-frying the eggplant instead of grilling, lay the eggplant out flat and season with salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
- If you don't have mason jars, just tightly wrap the bowl with Saran Wrap.
- The eggplant should be grilled long enough to have grill marks.
What to Serve Marinated Eggplant and Onion with
- Sandwiches. Marinated eggplant and onion goes great on any Italian Chicken Cutlets sandwich or serve it with a Peppers and Eggs Sandwich for breakfast.
- Pasta. This is a great addition to any pasta. Add it to pasta with Authentic Italian Sunday Sauce or a pasta with Pistachio Pesto.
- Summer Dinners. It's a great addition to any summer dinners like Chicken Spiedini or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs!
Recipe FAQs
It can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Throughout the week, the eggplant will get more and more creamy. I like to let it marinate at least overnight, although 8 hours does the trick.
Salting will help remove some moisture from the eggplant so that when it cooks, it's not mushy. When pan frying, this is important because the liquid is trapped but when grilling, you can skip this step.
More Amazing Sides!
If you love this eggplant side, leave a rating below! It's so easy! You can also follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Marinated Eggplant and Onion
Equipment
- 1 saucepan or cast iron pan
- 1 large mason jar or storage container
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant, slices into ½ inch thick circles
- ½ large onion or 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil for cooking
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil for marinating
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high. Place the chopped onions in a sheet of aluminum oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the aluminum foil into a pouch. Then lay the eggplant out and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat on the grill to medium and place all the eggplant on the grill. Place the onions on the grill. Grill the eggplant on each side for about 4 minutes.
- Allow the eggplant and the onions to cool for 10 minutes. Chop the eggplant into half-inch pieces. Place onions and eggplant into a large bowl. Combine with EVOO, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and crushed garlic cloves. Transfer to mason jars and store in the refrigerator over night.
- Enjoy on toast, sandwiches, or however you can imagine.
Notes
- If you are pan-frying the eggplant instead of grilling, lay the eggplant out flat and season with salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes then pat them dry with a paper towel.
- If you don't have mason jars, just tightly wrap the bowl with saran wrap.
- The eggplant should be grilled long enough to have grill marks.
Vinny
An easy marinated eggplant spread we make in the summer whenever we're grilling! I know you'll enjoy!