Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Salad

Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Salad features tomatoes, chickpeas, and fresh basil. It's a delicious way to enjoy summer produce.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Variations
• Serving suggestions
• Storing and freezing
• FAQ
• More Mediterranean salads
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Eggplants, or aubergine, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are members of the nightshade family related to tomatoes and potatoes.

Did you know there are at least ten different varieties of this vegetable? Check out this guide to learn more about them.

I personally love the skinnier Japanese eggplant. They have fewer seeds than the larger Italian version, and I enjoy the texture when cooked. However, for this grilled eggplant salad, feel free to use whatever variety you prefer.

You'll also need the following ingredients:

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Tomatoes (I like to use cherry tomatoes)
• White wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil leaves
• Pine nuts

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Equipment

If you don't have an outdoor barbecue grill, you can use a grill pan on your stove. I recommend this economical Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan.

Instructions

Eggplants cook quickly on a grill. Slice them lengthwise, brush each side with a little oil and dusting of salt and pepper, and grill them on each side for about five minutes.

Let them rest until they are cool enough to handle. Then slice them into bite-size pieces.

For this recipe, add them to a salad bowl with the other ingredients, toss, and serve. You can also make this salad in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to eat.

Variations

If you prefer to cook the eggplant using a different method than grilling, you have a couple of options.

You can cube and roast eggplant in the oven. Or you can prepare it in an air fryer like my friend Cadry does when she makes her Air Fryer Eggplant Dip.

And for the salad itself, you can add additional ingredients to make it your own. These are some of my favorite variations:

• Add more veggies such as red bell pepper, cucumber, or red onion.
• Give it a tangy flavor with olives, capers, or Dijon mustard.
• Add your favorite vegan cheese like feta or mozzarella.
• Add dried spices such as Za'atar, sumac, or cumin.
• Substitute fresh lemon juice in place of the vinegar.
• Swap in your favorite fresh herbs like oregano, mint, or parsley for the basil.

Serving suggestions

Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Salad can be a complete meal on its own. For lunch I enjoy eating it with my favorite toasted or grilled vegan gluten-free sourdough from Bread SRSLY.

It's also perfect as a starter or side with a variety of other dishes like the following:

Storing and freezing

Leftover eggplant salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

FAQ

More Mediterranean salads

And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★

📋 Recipe