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    Home » Sides

    Sautéed Eggplant

    Published: May 20, 2023 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    Sautéed eggplant is the best way to cook eggplants in a pan on the stovetop to make them tender and tasty with simple ingredients in just 20 minutes.

    This is a delicious Italian-inspired recipe, and you can eat it as an eggplant side dish, appetizer, or mixed with pasta for a healthy and delicious meal.

    Sautèed eggplant in a bowl
    On this page:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Variations
    • Make ahead & storage
    • More eggplant recipes
    • More sautéed vegetable recipes
    • Recipe

    Check out our Best Eggplant Recipes

    pasta with sautéed eggplant
    Penne with sautéed eggplant and olives.

    Our sautéed eggplant recipe is an Italian-inspired side dish you can make with diced eggplants, tomatoes, and a few other simple ingredients.

    It's easy to make in a pan on the stovetop in just 20 minutes, and it's great as a last-minute dinner because you can serve it on its own as a side dish, for a quick eggplant bruschetta with it, or use it as a delicious pasta sauce.

    This way of doing pan-fried eggplant with tomatoes is not only tasty, thanks to the fresh ingredients, but also healthy, as we don't fry the eggplant in oil.

    First, the tomatoes are scorched on a large skillet over medium-high heat with a little oil and garlic. Then we add diced eggplant, which is then sautéed with the other ingredients.

    The eggplant dice soak in the tomato juices and garlic aroma, becoming incredibly flavorful, juicy, and tender.

    Despite its simplicity, this is a fantastic everyday recipe perfect for the whole family. Let's see how to make it.

    Ps. The Italian name of this dish is "Melanzane a funghetto," meaning mushroom-shaped eggplant due to the eggplant dice that vaguely recall the shape of mushrooms.

    Ingredients

    Sauteed eggplant ingredients

    Eggplant

    You can make sautéed eggplant with most eggplant varieties. The most common ones in Western supermarkets are globe eggplants, the large ones with an oval shape and dark shiny skin.

    Italian eggplants also work as they are very similar to globe American eggplants.

    Alternatively, you can use Chinese and Japanese eggplant (long-shaped and thin), fairy tale eggplant (small, purple, and white), graffiti eggplant (speckled with white and purple skin), and white eggplant (the one that looks like an egg).

    Tip: We think the best and fastest way to make sautéed eggplant is to cut the eggplant into dice, and not with eggplant slices. This way, you won't have to arrange the eggplant slices on a single layer on the skillet, and you will be able to make a larger quantity in less time.

    Tomatoes

    We recommend using fresh ripe tomatoes for sautéed eggplant. We prefer cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are also perfect for this recipe.

    Olive oil

    We use extra virgin olive oil for better flavor and nutrition. Alternatively, regular olive oil is also ok.

    Garlic

    To add a mild and pleasant garlic aroma. For this recipe, we prefer fresh garlic to garlic powder.

    Red Pepper Flakes

    To add some spiciness. You can replace them with chili powder or dried chili.

    Salt & Pepper

    We use sea salt or kosher salt to season this dish. We add black pepper for a fragrant aroma.

    Fresh Basil

    Basil is the main flavoring herb in this sautéed eggplant recipe. However, you can add more herbs and spices if you like. Good options are dried herbs such as Italian seasoning mix, dried oregano, or thyme.

    Note: you can make this recipe in a large nonstick skillet, enameled cast iron, or stainless steel skillet.

    Italian sautéed eggplant

    Instructions

    Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add halved cherry tomatoes, and season them with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic (you can add it crushed, pressed, minced, or grated).

    halved tomatoes on a pan with oil and garlic

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

    crushing fried tomatoes on pan

    In the meantime, wash and dry the eggplant, remove the stem, and slice it into 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm). Add the eggplant to the pan along with one cup of water.

    eggplant cubes added to the pan

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

    Remove the lid and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the eggplant is thoroughly cooked.

    Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, stirring them in before serving.

    sautéed eggplant with fresh basil

    Serving suggestions

    Side dish

    sautéed eggplant in a bowl

    This sautéed eggplant recipe was created as a side dish. Serve it in a bowl as a side for one of our easy dinners for a healthy, tasty, and nutritious dinner.

    Appetizer

    bruschetta with sautéed eggplant

    Serve sautéed eggplant as an appetizer on toasted bread. You can make eggplant bruschetta with larger bread slices or crostini with smaller bread slices. Either way, it'll be delicious.

    Main course

    pasta with sautéed eggplant

    Transform this dish into a delicious main course by using it as a sauce for a tasty and nutritious pasta dish.

    All you have to do is cook a short pasta (penne, rotini, rigatoni) al dente, then add it to the pan with the sauteed eggplant, a cup of reserved pasta water, and a handful of black olives (optional).

    Toss for a minute on medium heat and serve with plenty of fresh basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

    Variations

    Zaalouk (Moroccan eggplant salad)

    zaalouk with crusty bread

    Change the spices of our Italian-inspired sauteed eggplant recipe to transform it into a south-Mediterranean dish. Add a teaspoon of cumin and paprika to the pan with the tomatoes.

    Then substitute chopped fresh parsley for the basil, and you have a delicious Moroccan-inspired eggplant dish.

    Check out our zaalouk recipe, a delicious Moroccan eggplant salad.

    Sweet and sour eggplant

    sweet and sour eggplant on a serving plate

    Sweet and sour eggplant is a delicious sautéed recipe with a soft texture and bold flavor, made with simple ingredients on the stovetop in about 20 minutes.

    You can serve them as a side dish or on top of toasted bread, or in a bowl with boiled rice. It's tender, juicy, and delicious, with a mildly sweet and tangy flavor.

    Check out our sweet and sour eggplant.

    Make ahead & storage

    Make ahead: you can make this recipe ahead and use it for meal prep as it keeps well in the fridge for several days, and it's easy to reheat. Also, we noticed that the eggplants taste even better the next day, so feel free to make a big batch ahead of time and have it ready for the week.

    Refrigerator: store sautéed eggplant in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Heat eggplant in a pan or microwave.

    Freezer: we don't recommend freezing this recipe.

    More eggplant recipes

    Eggplant lover? Us too. Here are some other eggplant recipes you might like:

    • Breaded eggplant
    • Stuffed eggplant
    • Pasta alla Norma
    • Eggplant pizza
    • Roasted eggplant
    • breaded eggplants with marinara sauce
      Breaded Eggplant
    • eggplant salad with pasta
      Eggplant Salad
    • stuffed eggplants
      Stuffed Eggplant
    • eggplant soup
      Eggplant Soup
    • Pasta Norma with fresh basil
      Pasta alla Norma - Eggplant Pasta
    • baba ganoush eggplant dip
      Eggplant Dip - Baba Ganoush
    • eggplant pizza
      Eggplant Pizza
    • roasted eggplant
      Roasted Eggplant

    Or any of our best 35 eggplant recipes, including dinners, lunches, and snacks.

    More sautéed vegetable recipes

    Don't want to turn on the oven? Here are some more veggie recipes you can make on the stove-top:

    • Sautéed zucchini (lemon juice, red onion, zucchini, garlic, parsley, etc.)
    • Easy sautéed asparagus (lemon, asparagus, olive oil, shaved almonds, etc.)
    • Pan-fried artichokes (artichokes, garlic, lemon, olive oil, mint, etc.)
    • Sautéed mushrooms (parsley, mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, etc.)
    • sauteed zucchini on a plate
      Sautéed Zucchini
    • sautéed asparagus
      Sautéed Asparagus
    • pan fried artichokes
      Pan Fried Artichokes
    • tofu mushroom recipe
      Tofu Mushroom Recipe

    For many more side dishes ideas, check out our sides category page.

    Recipe

    Sauteed eggplant in a bowl with basil

    Sautéed Eggplant

    Author: Nico
    Sautéed eggplant is the best and easiest way to cook eggplants in a pan on the stovetop to make them tender and tasty with simple ingredients in just 20 minutes.
    This is a delicious Italian-inspired recipe, and you can eat it as an eggplant side dish, appetizer, or mixed with pasta for a healthy and delicious meal.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 7 votes
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 116 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved
    • 3 cloves garlic pressed, minced, or crushed
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 large eggplant 1½ lb or 680 g
    • 1 cup water
    • ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 15 leaves of basil
    Keep screen on

    Instructions
     

    • Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a skillet, then add 1 pound cherry tomatoes (halved), season them with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 3 cloves garlic (crushed or grated).
      halved tomatoes on a pan with oil and garlic
    • Fry the tomatoes on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then crush them with a fork.
      crushing fried tomatoes on pan
    • In the meantime, wash and dry 1 large eggplant, remove the stem, and slice into 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm). Add the eggplant to the pan along with one 1 cup water.
      eggplant cubes added to the pan
    • Stir well, cover with a lid, and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
      Remove the lid and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the eggplant is thoroughly cooked.
      Stir in 15 leaves of basil and serve.
      sautéed eggplant with fresh basil

    SERVING SUGGESTIONS

    • SIDE DISH: serve it in a bowl as a side next to one of our easy dinners or your favorite main.
      sautéed eggplant in a bowl
    • APPETIZER: try it on toasted slices of bread as an appetizer. You can make bruschetta with larger bread slices or crostini with smaller bread slices.
      bruschetta with sautéed eggplant
    • MAIN COURSE: add pasta cooked al dente to the pan with the sautéed eggplant, then add a cup of reserved pasta water and a handful of black olives (optional).
      Toss for a minute on medium heat and serve with plenty of fresh basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
      pasta with sautéed eggplant

    Video Recipe

    Sautéed Eggplant in 20 mins (for bruschetta & pasta)

    Notes

    Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of sautéed eggplant our of 4 servings.
    VARIATIONS
    Check our the variations chapter to learn how to make sautéed eggplant with cumin, and sweet and sour sautéed eggplant.
    MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE
    Make ahead: you can make this recipe ahead and use it for meal prep as it keeps well in the fridge for several days and it's easy to reheat. Also, we noticed that the eggplants tastes even better the next day, so feel free to make a big batch ahead of time and have it ready for the week.
    Refrigerator: store sautéed eggplant in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Heat eggplant on a pan or in the microwave.
    Freezer: we don't recommend freezing this recipe.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Sautéed Eggplant
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    116
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    7
    g
    11
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    0
    mg
    0
    %
    Potassium
     
    534
    mg
    15
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    12
    g
    4
    %
    Dietary Fiber
     
    4
    g
    17
    %
    Sugar
     
    7
    g
    8
    %
    Protein
     
    2
    g
    4
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    817
    IU
    16
    %
    Vitamin B6
     
    0.2
    mg
    10
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    30
    mg
    36
    %
    Vitamin E
     
    2
    mg
    13
    %
    Vitamin K
     
    27
    µg
    26
    %
    Calcium
     
    36
    mg
    4
    %
    Folate
     
    43
    µg
    11
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    Manganese
     
    0.5
    mg
    25
    %
    Magnesium
     
    30
    mg
    8
    %
    Zinc
     
    0.4
    mg
    3
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?Leave us a comment below or find us on Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.

    If you liked this eggplant recipe, you might also like the following:

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Therese

      August 29, 2022 at 2:09 am

      5 stars
      I love this dish. It was super easy to make but tasted like I spent all evening making it. I am eating it as a side dish tonight and putting it on penne pasta tomorrow.

      Reply
    2. Therese

      August 29, 2022 at 2:07 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. It was super easy but tasted like I spent all evening making it. I am eating it as a side dish tonight and adding it to penne pasta tomorrow!

      Reply
      • Nico

        August 29, 2022 at 6:37 am

        Hi Therese, I am delighted to hear that!! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a comment. Cheers, Nico

        Reply

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    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

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