Delicious Smoked Paprika Roasted Eggplant Recipe
Easy oven-roasted eggplant with olive oil, smoked paprika and togarashi.
Equipment
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 whole eggplant, medium or large size (the Globe variety works best for this recipe)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more as needed)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- togarashi for finishing (togarashi is a Japanese spice blend containing red chili pepper, sesame seeds, dried orange peel, dried seaweed, mustard and ginger)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 F/230 C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Rinse your eggplant in cold water and pat dry with a towel. Using a sharp knife, slice it down the middle lengthwise. I leave the end with the leaves intact.
- Using the tip of your knife, cut diagonal lines in the open sides of the flesh creating a cross hatch pattern (see photos). You want to cut deeply into the flesh, but not so far that you puncture the skin on the other side.
- Brush the flesh with extra virgin olive oil. Eggplant is famous for soaking up oil like there’s no tomorrow, so don’t worry if it seems blotchy or unevenly coated at first. Just give it a good brushing, and it’ll be fine.
- Place the eggplant cut side up on your parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with smoked paprika, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. The spice measurements do not have to be precise- add more or less depending on how seasoned you want it to be.
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the flesh is relaxed and fork tender. Err on the side of overdone if you're unsure. I always check my eggplant at the 30 minute mark and go from there.
- Once done, remove pan from the oven and allow the eggplant to cool for five minutes. Sprinkle with togarashi and enjoy!
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