Out of the numerous little bites that came out of my kitchen so far this year, these have to be in my top 3. Inspired from Mediterranean cuisine where eggplant holds a prominent role, these Eggplant Slices with Goat Cheese and Walnuts are as simple to make as they are delicious.
A great, delicious recipe to celebrate this late-Summer, plum purple vegetable.
An appetizer, a salad topping or a side dish.
This is a simple and versatile eggplant recipe, that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. The eggplant cooks up meltingly tender and creamy, absorbing all the flavors from the olive oil and thyme. The sprinkles of goat cheese and walnuts add a great amount of tanginess and crunch.
You can serve it warm or at room temperature as an appetizer, to top off a salad, or as a side dish.
Cooking notes :
- Draining the eggplant. It is important to drain the eggplant slices in a strainer with salt prior to cooking them. This step extracts the excess moisture from the eggplant to prevent it from turning mushy when cooked, and also to cut out some of the bitterness.
- You can substitute goat cheese for feta, or even bits of brie.
- You can substitute the chopped walnuts for pine nuts.
If you try this Eggplant Toasts with Goat Cheese and Walnuts, let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram.
Bon Appétit!
15 comments
Served this as a side last night. The oven finish was key to the “toast”, and the thyme was a great addition. Thank you.
Great, thank you for your feedback!
oh I love goats cheese and i love grilled/ toasted egg plant!! This looks absolutely delicious,
Thank you!
I made this recipe last evening as an appetizer, delicious combination of flavors. We enjoyed them with a glass of wine on the deck. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
My pleasure, thank you for sharing your feedback!
@Audrey, could I just bake on each side for like 15 mins (skip the fry step for more ease and less clean up), then add the toppings and pop back into oven? What do you think?
Hi Diana. You could try skipping the fry step, and bake the slices 15 minutes on each side – but I recommend you still use the same amount of EVOO and drizzle the slices generously before baking or they will end up dry and uncooked.
Served this on top of fettuccini with a white wine and caper sauce. It all melted together beautifully! Love how easy it was, too.
Thank you!
[…] 14. Eggplant Toasts with Goat Cheese and Walnuts […]
These are so good! You can’t stop at just one. I guess it helps that these are all of my favourite ingredients in one bite… a great dish for parties
Love it, Amanda! And why stop at just one, right? These are made to have more than a few!
If you were to serve these over a salad or even just green, what kind of greens would you recommend?
Hello, Lisa. I think arugula (also known as rocket or roquette) would be a great choice for this. Would love to know how it turned out if you make it this way. I think all those flavors would pair wonderfully with that type of green.