Eggplant Bruschetta

Eggplant bruschetta is a delicious appetizer or light dinner made with tender diced eggplant cooked with a few simple ingredients and fresh herbs and served on crunchy bread.

We’ll show you seven delicious toppings with a pleasant Mediterranean flavor, so you have plenty of ideas to choose from.

They are all well-tested, popular, and beloved Mediterranean recipes. They are:

• Italian sautéed eggplant with tomatoes
• Sweet and sour eggplant
• Moroccan Zaalouk
• Middle Eastern Baba Ganoush
• Sicilian Caponata
• Oven-roasted eggplant and Air-fried eggplant
• Grilled eggplant

Pick one or more, and let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below.

Bread

Pick a bread loaf that you can slice yourself to make 1/2 inch (1.5cm) thick bread slices. Sourdough bread is best. Alternatively, a rustic Italian bread loaf is also great. Choose a loaf of bread with a dense crumb, sturdy enough to hold the toppings.

Traditionally, bruschetta is made with one to two days old bread, but you can also use fresh bread.

Avoid sandwich bread and soft bread loaves. Also, a baguette is not commonly used for bruschetta. However, you can use a baguette to make homemade crostini which you can then top with the same toppings we are showing you here.

We haven’t tried gluten-free bruschetta, but you could try using gluten-free bread.

Eggplant

Our favorite varieties for this recipe are globe eggplants (standard American eggplants with dark shiny skin), Italian eggplants (similar to American globe eggplant), or zebra eggplants (also known as Sicilian eggplant, with white and light-purple stripes).

Tomatoes

You can use any ripe tomatoes, including cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, date tomatoes, vine tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes.

Olive oil

We prefer extra virgin olive oil for a fruitier taste and better nutrition.

Salt, Pepper, and Red Pepper Flakes

Sea salt or kosher salt to season the eggplant, freshly ground black pepper for aroma, and red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.

Garlic

Choose fresh garlic cloves rather than garlic powder for this eggplant bruschetta. We use garlic for cooking the eggplant and rubbing on the warm toasted bread.

Fresh Basil

Fresh basil is our fresh herb of choice for this recipe. You can replace it with fresh parsley, oregano, and thyme.

Make the Topping

Chop the tomatoes and add them to a large pan with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then crush them with a fork.

Wash and dry the eggplant, cut off the stem, slice eggplant into 1-inch slices (2.5 cm), and then cubes. Add the eggplant to the pan along with one cup of water.

Stir well, cover with a lid and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the lid off and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce gets thick and all the water has gone.

Add fresh basil leaves, stir, and set aside.

Toast the Bread

Turn on the broiler function of your oven. Slice the bread into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) thick slices.

Arrange the bread on a baking sheet, on a single layer, without overlapping, and broil in the oven until golden brown on top. There’s no need to turn it around unless you want ultra-crunchy bruschetta.

If you have a charcoal grill, toast your bread there. Your bruschetta will be even tastier and look nicer with charred grill marks. Alternatively, you can use a grill pan.

Ingredients: eggplants, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, white wine vinegar, sugar, mint or parsley, basil, and pine nuts.

Here are the instructions for sweet and sour eggplant.

Sicilian Caponata Topping

Ingredients: eggplant, tomatoes, onion, celery, extra-virgin olive oil, green olives, capers, salt, black pepper, vinegar, sugar, basil, and pine nuts.

Here are the instructions for eggplant caponata.

Moroccan Zaalouk Topping

Ingredients: eggplant, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, water, parsley, cilantro, and lemon.

Here are the instructions for Moroccan Zalouk.

Middle Eastern Baba Ganoush Topping

Ingredients: eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, flat-leaf parsley, extra virgin olive oil.

Here are the instructions for Middle Eastern Baba Ganoush.

Roasted Eggplant / Air-Fried Eggplant Topping

Ingredients: eggplant, extra virgin olive oil, salt, garlic or garlic powder, pepper, dried thyme, and optionally chipotle sauce.

Here are the instructions for Oven Roasted Eggplant and Air-Fried Eggplant. We like to top this with our homemade chipotle sauce.

Grilled Eggplant Topping

Ingredients: eggplant, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, basil leaves, or parsley.

Here are the instructions for Grilled Eggplant. On this one, you can add a classic bruschetta tomato mixture on top of the eggplant slice.

If you love eating tender and tasty eggplant, take your pick from these aromatic eggplant recipes:

• Eggplant soup
• Roasted eggplant
• Pasta alla Norma
• Fried eggplant
• Eggplant pizza
• Chickpea pasta with eggplant
• Eggplant salad

Or take your pick from this list of our 35 best eggplant recipes including dinner ideas, appetizers, and easy sides.

Bruschetta is an easy appetizer with plenty of different options for toppings. Choose your favorite topping here among condiments and veggies:

• Grilled zucchini
• Vegan pesto
• Olive tapenade
• Easy tofu cream cheese
• Vegan ricotta
• Tomato confit