How delicious Eggplant Pesto is, a versatile and flavorful cream that we can use to dress first courses or appetizers to serve for an aperitif.
Eggplant pesto is a delightful and tasty summer preparation, very easy and quick to make and super versatile.
Surely one of the recipes to try with this vegetable, it has a strong and unmistakable flavor that is worth trying!
Delicious, it is prepared with a procedure similar to other pestos, but in this case, it starts with cooked eggplant. We chose to bake it, but you can also use an air fryer if you prefer.
Then the pulp is gathered in a mixer and blended with toasted almonds, grated Parmesan, oil, garlic, and parsley. Or prepare the sauce without garlic to increase its digestibility.
The result will be a tasty sauce, with a slightly grainy texture, perfect for dressing a good plate of pasta or spreading on a fragrant slice of toasted bread.
If you prefer, you can substitute the almonds with an equal amount of cashews or walnuts, or add grated Pecorino cheese instead of Parmesan for a saltier and more decisive note.
It can also be used in more fancy preparations, to fill bruschettas, canapés.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 127.19 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.04 (g) of which sugars 0.92 (g)
- Proteins 3.85 (g)
- Fat 11.80 (g) of which saturated 2.21 (g)of which unsaturated 0.71 (g)
- Fibers 1.37 (g)
- Sodium 494.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Eggplant Pesto
- 1 eggplant (large)
- 1/5 cup grated Parmesan (you can halve and add Pecorino)
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1/3 cup blanched almonds (or walnuts or pine nuts or cashews)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- Immersion Blenders
- Baking Pan
- Parchment Paper
Steps for Eggplant Pesto
Wash the eggplant and dry it.
Place the eggplant in the center of a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Pierce the eggplant evenly using a toothpick.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 45/50 minutes or until the pulp is very soft.
(Cooking times may vary by the size of the eggplant).
(If you’re in a hurry, you can cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, transfer them to a baking pan lined with parchment paper, and lightly score the flesh with diagonal cuts, brush the surface with a little oil, and lightly salt them, bake the eggplants in a static oven).
After this time, remove the eggplants from the oven and let them cool for 10/15 minutes before proceeding with the preparation of the pesto.
You need to remove the skin, I used a knife and fork.
At this point, cut the eggplant into chunks.
Add the blanched almonds, grated Parmesan, a few parsley leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a good drizzle of oil to the eggplant pulp, then blend everything.
To your taste, blend the ingredients until you get a very smooth pesto or, as in this case, a slightly more rustic texture; if necessary, add a little more oil to better blend the ingredients and adjust the salt.
Transfer the eggplant pesto into a dry and clean glass jar, drizzle with some oil.
The eggplant pesto can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container and covered with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, for a maximum of 1-2 days.
Tip….. it can be frozen to have it ready for when eggplants are out of season.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips
You can add a sun-dried tomato preserved in oil (but be careful with the amount of added salt) and some mint leaves; or prepare the sauce without garlic to increase its digestibility.
I used almonds, alternatively, you can also use pine nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, or walnuts. Use up any leftovers if you have them, and avoid waste.
The proposed version uses the large oval eggplant, but you can safely choose another variety without compromising the success of the pesto.
If you want to prepare eggplant pesto for preservation, just follow a few small precautions. Put it in sterilized glass jars and top it with good olive oil until it completely covers the surface. This way, it won’t oxidize.
Alternatively, it can be frozen to have it ready for when eggplants are out of season.
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