As a good Neapolitan, sooner or later I had to write the recipe for split eggplants here on my blog, right? Also because using little oil makes it a very light side dish.
Aside from being vegan, it’s a perfect side dish for a diet and also very tasty. The preparation is super easy: you can cook the split eggplants in the oven, but if you have an air fryer, you can make them all summer long without overheating the kitchen!
Let’s see how I prepare them, and I’ll also leave you with a few more recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Autumn
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (about 2 measuring spoons)
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste dried oregano
- to taste basil
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 1 WW point
Tools
- Air Fryer
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Baking Tray
Steps
Cut the two eggplants in half lengthwise. If they are very “chubby,” you can also remove a slice from the center to use in another way. You should get two half eggplants about 3/4 inch thick.
With a sharp knife, deeply score the flesh without cutting through the skin and breaking it: you need to make incisions where we’ll place the tomatoes later. I make one incision along the perimeter and then other diagonal ones in between.
Place the eggplants laid out on a baking tray or directly in the air fryer basket with the scored side facing down. Cook in the oven at 428°F for 15-20 minutes or in the air fryer at 356°F for about ten minutes. Adjust as needed: the eggplants should start softening without roasting too much.
Take the eggplants and insert the sliced tomatoes into the slots you scored earlier. Push the tomatoes as deep as you can! Then, you can add the finely chopped garlic clove, salt, and oregano. Finish by drizzling half a teaspoon of oil over each half eggplant.
Place the eggplants back, this time with the cut side up, on the baking tray or in the air fryer basket and cook again at 428°F in the oven for 25-30 minutes or 356°F in the fryer for 15-20 minutes, checking the cooking level.
When you feel with a fork that the flesh is cooked and the tomatoes look well roasted, our split eggplants are ready!
Now you can add some fresh basil pieces to give more aroma to this side dish and serve at the table!
Or you might not serve them since they are exquisite even once cooled, perhaps even tastier!
What do you think of this recipe? Do you like it? I like it very much, and I must say that I had made it often last year, then I forgot about it and now I will start making split eggplants all summer long! Let me know if you liked them and if you maybe make them in a different way…
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can store split eggplants in the fridge for at least 3 days. I don’t think it’s a good idea to freeze them, at most you can just do the first cooking phase and freeze them to finish the preparation another day.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I also use the oven?
As I explained, yes, whether it’s static or ventilated, it works just fine. The only thing is that with the oven it will take more time, and you’ll need to set a slightly higher temperature. Also, I don’t have one, but I think you can even use the microwave with the crisp function.
Which eggplant variety should I use?
You can use whichever you prefer. If I lived in Naples, I would use the thin and long ones because they cook faster, and in my opinion, they are tastier. But even the large or round ones are fine: if they are too large, you can always remove a middle slice that you can use to make, for example, this recipe: Eggplant Mushroom Style.
