If you're looking for a simple, flavour-packed way to enjoy aubergine, this Italian marinated aubergine recipe is hard to beat. Grilling the aubergines adds a soft, smoky depth of flavour, creating tender slices that soak up every bit of the vibrant Italian marinade.
This is one of the most delicious and easy ways to prepare aubergine. The smoky aubergine combines with the Mediterranean marinade; a tang from the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, mild heat from the chilli, and herbaceous flavours with the garlic and parsley.
Perfect for summer cooking, or to use up a seasonal glut growing in your greenhouse. These aubergines can be made up ahead of time and stores in the fridge till you are ready to serve. Great with salads, grilled meats, or on antipasti platters.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy to prepare and grill using a few simple marinade ingredients.
- A tasty addition to any sharing platter, serve with meat, hummus, pickled veggies and some toasted flat-breads.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and make a great addition to your lunchtime salad.
Recipe ingredients
- Aubergine (eggplant) - I use 1 large or 2 small aubergines, sliced into 1cm rounds. You can also use this recipe to grill courgettes or bell peppers and can find instructions for that later in the post.
- Garlic - I always use fresh garlic in the marinade as it has the best flavour. You could use garlic puree in a pinch, but don't add garlic salt as it just doesn't have the same flavour.
- Chilli - I use a fresh red chilli which I de-seed and finely chop. If you don't like chilli heat, leave it out.
- Fresh Herbs - A small bunch of chopped flat leaf parsley flavours the marinade. You could also use fresh oregano or basil.
- Acid - I add both balsamic vinegar and the juice of half a lemon to the marinade.
- Oil - I use extra virgin olive oil in the marinade as it has the best flavour.
- Seasoning - The marinade is seasoned with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to marinate aubergines
- Slice the aubergine into rounds and place on either a hot barbecue or grill pan and char on each side until softened. Turn frequently taking care not to burn the aubergine.
- DO NOT add any oil to either the pan or the aubergine as this will make the vegetable soggy. Once done set the aubergine aside to cool on a wire rack.
- Place all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Now add the cooled aubergine and mix well to combine.
- Transfer to a good sealing container, ensuring the olive oil completely covers the aubergine, if not then top up with more olive oil. Place in the fridge where the aubergine will keep well or 1-2 weeks.
Recipe variations
- Vegetables - this method works equally well with other vegetables like courgettes (zucchini), bell peppers, or even portobello mushrooms.
- Fresh herbs - use any variety of freshly chopped herbs that you would like to flavour the oil with.
- Citrus - for an extra burst of citrus add some fresh lemon zest to the marinade along with the juice.
Serving suggestions
I love serving grilled eggplant on an anti-pasti board with olives; pickled vegetables; meats and other cold cuts; and hummus. Serve alongside my Beetroot Hummus, or Quick Courgette & Shallot Pickle.
They also taste delicious as a side dish alongside some spicy couscous, or some grilled meats. Try them with my Ras el Hanout Chicken & Spicy Couscous recipe. For more recipes read my Easy Mezze Platter Ideas post.
Useful hints and tips
- Make the best use of your barbecue. When I have the BBQ lit, and once I've eaten my food, I will often grill some aubergine, courgette and pepper, adding it to the marinade which I made earlier in the day. This saves me lighting the BBQ just to cook a few vegetables and means I have the ingredients for an easy salad or sharing platter the following day.
- If grilling courgette and peppers too, I suggest that you double the recipe for the marinade. It's really important to keep the veggies covered in a layer of oil at all times to stop them spoiling.
- Don't waste the flavored oil! Once you have eaten the marinated aubergine, don't throw away the olive oil. It is beautifully flavoured and can be used to drizzle over food, like salad or meat; in salad dressings; for sauteing vegetables; or as a simple dipping oil with a chunk of crusty bread.
- Containing no dairy, this salad is suitable for anyone following a dairy free or vegan diet.
- Allergy advice: This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
I love cooking aubergine on the barbecue as the char adds a lovely sweet and smoky flavour. However, you can also grill aubergine indoors using a griddle/chargrill pan (as I've done here), or roast aubergine in the oven.
Once grilled and covered in the Italian marinade, these aubergine slices should last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just ensure that when you place them in the storage container that you completely cover the vegetables with the olive oil. If necessary add a little extra olive oil if it gets too low!
No, I never do this. Aubergine used to be a rather bitter fruit, but thanks to advances in eggplant farming, they are far less bitter these days which means there is no need to salt eggplant before you cook it.
Yes, the same process and marinade can be used for courgettes (zucchini) and peppers too. When I have the BBQ on I will often grill all 3 fruits and add them to the marinade. The aubergine and courgette are sliced and charred on both sides.
However, the pepper needs to be treated a little differently, grilling it whole till the skin of the pepper blisters, then placing it into a Ziploc bag so that it seams and the skin sweats off. Once that is done you can can slice, remove the core and seeds from the centre of the pepper.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then why not try these easy vegetable side salads:
- Warm Potato Salad with Wild Garlic
- Warm Vegan Potato Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Easy Bean Salad
- Fennel & Apple Slaw
- Harissa, Carrot & Chickpea Salad
Love salad? Then head to my Best Salad Recipes post where you will find links to all my favourite salads recipes.
Italian Marinaded Aubergine (Eggplant) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 red chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped)
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- juice of half lemon
- 150 ml olive oil
- sea salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the aubergine into rounds and place on either a hot barbecue or grill pan and char on each side until softened. Turn frequently taking care not to burn the aubergine.
- DO NOT add any oil to either the pan or the aubergine as this will make the vegetable soggy. Once done set the aubergine aside to cool on a wire rack.
- Place all the remaining ingredients into a bowl, add the cooled aubergine and mix well to combine.
- Transfer to a good sealing container, ensuring the olive oil completely covers the aubergine, if not then top up with more olive oil. Place in the fridge where the aubergine will keep well or 1-2 weeks.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Cat says
This has become a favourite BBQ dish in my house. Such an easy and delicious addition to so many meals.
Lesley says
Thank you Cat, it's a dish I always prepare when I have the BBQ on.
Chloe says
Delicious, I'm getting more and more obsessed with aubergines and this is such a great way to cook them.
Lesley says
Thank you Chloe, I love aubergine and this is a favourite way to cook with it.
Nanise VULI says
Oh this looks divine! I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog as I have been searching for an Italian grilled aubergine recipe; something similar to what I had at a restaurant a couple of months ago. I absolutely loved that cold, full of flavour aubergine they had added onto the antipasto platter. Thanks to your blog, now I've found another way of cooking aubergine; adding it to my favourite list: the first is the Indian Baigan choka and now this (not favouring one over the other). Thank you so much for sharing this. Now, my family will probably be sick of seeing marinated aubergines (and other veggies too) in the fridge. 🙂
Lesley says
Thank you Nanise, what a lovely comment to leave for us. I’m so glad that you’ve found this recipe, it’s one I love myself and make all the time, there’s always a tub in my fridge. At the moment I’ve also added courgettes from my own garden into the mix, which work great too. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Lesley x
Camilla Hawkin says
This sounds so tasty, I am guilty of never using aubergine for much more than ratatouille so really need to mend my ways!
Lesley says
Hi Camilla, I love aubergine, sadly rest of my family don't feel the same. I love it in a curry but done like this they are ideal as I can just graze from the fridge! Lesley x
Mandy says
These look lovely - I love a good grilled aubergine. That spice question is tricky though. I love smoked paprika but not sure that it would be my number one. Maybe cumin?
Lesley says
Thank you Mandy, they are very tasty for something so simple. That's my dilemma too spice-wise, cumin or paprika, it depends on the day. Lesley x
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Love these! I remember eons ago I studied Italian in Florence (as you do!) and my host 'mamma' made something very similar for dinner - SO GOOD. I've had similar things in the UK since, but never quite as good - I think your recipe could well match up though! And yep, I am in the smoked paprika brigade too - though only limiting me to one, that's just mean! Can I have cumin too? That would be my number two choice - and they go soooo well together, especially when on sweet potato fries!! Eb x
Lesley says
Hi Eb, I've tried other recipes but when I was given this one I knew it was a winner, simple yet delicious. Ha, ha it's such a struggle to stick to one spice, cumin would be my no 2 but cinnamon in there too - an almost impossible question. Lesley x
Monika Dabrowski says
What a lovely snack, everything about this recipe is beautiful, and I am a huge fan of grilled vegetables! Especially when they are prepared as nicely as yours are:)
Lesley says
Hi Monika, they have become a real favourite in my house, so simple to prepare. I love aubergine anyway, but marinated like this they are close to perfection for me. Lesley