The grilled eggplants with chimichurri are a delicious and simple to make appetizer or side dish, ideal to serve cold and perfect to prepare even the day before. During summer, they are the ideal side for barbecues with meat and fish. The chimichurri sauce, a typical South American preparation, gives the eggplants an intense and aromatic flavor, softening them and making them irresistible. If prepared the day before, the eggplants will have more time to absorb the flavors, but even an hour’s marination in the fridge or at room temperature will be enough for a great result. These grilled eggplants can also be served as a main course for a summer vegetarian dinner, accompanied by other cold vegetable dishes like zucchini carpaccio, cold pepper soup, or baked tomatoes.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Grill
- Cuisine: International
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 141.18 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.27 (g) of which sugars 5.12 (g)
- Proteins 1.65 (g)
- Fat 12.05 (g) of which saturated 1.73 (g)of which unsaturated 0.20 (g)
- Fibers 4.63 (g)
- Sodium 102.85 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 3 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 the Grilled Eggplants with Chimichurri Sauce
- 1.3 lbs black oval eggplants
- 3.4 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 hot chili pepper
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 pinch ground cumin (optional)
- 1 pinch smoked paprika (optional)
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Garlic Press
- 1 Grill Pan
How to Prepare Marinated Grilled Eggplants with Chimichurri
To prepare the eggplants with chimichurri, first make the chimichurri sauce, which needs to rest for half an hour in the fridge. Finely chop the parsley with a knife (1). Place it in a bowl and add the chopped chili pepper, oregano, and, if you like, cumin and paprika. Also add the crushed garlic with the garlic press (2). Before pressing, you can cut it in half and remove the central part, which is the most indigestible. Then add a good pinch of salt, vinegar, and oil (3).
Mix thoroughly using a spoon until you obtain a fairly liquid sauce (4). Cover the bowl and let the chimichurri rest in the fridge for half an hour. Meanwhile, grill the eggplants: wash them, dry them, and remove the stem, then cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick (5).
Place a non-stick grill pan on the stove, brush it lightly with a little oil and heat it very well. Place the eggplant slices on it (6) and grill them for about 2 and a half minutes. Then turn them, lightly salt them and cook them on the other side for a couple of minutes (7).
As the eggplants are cooked, arrange them side by side on a plate or tray, forming a first layer. Season them with a couple of tablespoons of chimichurri (8). With the remaining eggplants, form other layers on top of each other, seasoning each layer with a bit of chimichurri, until you run out of eggplants. Finish by pouring the remaining chimichurri over the last layer (9).
Cover the grilled eggplants with chimichurri with a sheet of food wrap and let them marinate in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Storage
The marinated eggplants with chimichurri can be stored in the refrigerator, in a glass container, for 3 or 4 days.
Tips and Variations
You can also use the same sauce to dress zucchini or grilled peppers. If you don’t have a grill, you can bake the eggplants in the oven, placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brushing them with a little oil. It will take 15-20 minutes in a fan oven at 356°F.
