It’s especially handy when it’s 100 degrees out and you don’t want to heat your home but you do want to enjoy some otherwise melty goodness – the non-perforated pan allows you to skip the oven while cooking en plein air without the mess. And there’s nothing to it. The seasoned skillet sits directly on the grill and once it’s heated to the desired temperature you prepare your food the same way you would on the stove. You won’t get the grill marks of course but for certain foods that tend to spill and sputter it’s a great option.
This recipe is a perfect example. (Whenever cheese is involved, let’s face it, preservation is key. You want all of that goodness ending up on your plate – not down the grill gutter – especially those overhang crispy chewy bits, am I right?).
Cheese chatter aside, this recipe takes advantage of some seasonal gems ~ aubergine, tomato and basil all play starring roles here. It’s a delicious opportunity to celebrate your garden goodies (or poach some from your neighbor’s garden like I did) and eat the rainbow.
I don’t think you’ll have much trouble convincing anyone to try these … they taste just like mini lasagnas (the soft, non-bitter veg base mimics the noodle perfectly) — so good. Enjoy them as an appetizer or a light meal.
The toppings are fully adaptive so have fun, experiment and enjoy the beautiful outdoors!
Be sure to check out the Notes section in the recipe card below for tips, substitution ideas and best results.
- 2 handsome eggplant, cut into slices about ½" thick
- 1 cup of your favorite marinara or tomato sauce (enter "marinara" in search function to find mine)
- Sliced (or shredded) mozzarella cheese for each eggplant slice (or cheese of choice)
- Carton or bunch of cherry tomatoes or tomato variety of choice, sliced
- Bunch of fresh basil
- Olive oil & sea salt
- Lay sliced eggplant on paper towel lined tray - brush tops of slices generously with olive oil and a good sprinkle of sea salt. Allow eggplant to sweat as you prepare other ingredients.
- Place seasoned* cast iron skillet directly on grill - close lid and heat grill to medium-high temperature (about 300 F).
- Very carefully place eggplant slices, oil side down, on skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes before carefully flipping the slices over - the eggplant will have softened somewhat and taken on a somewhat golden color.
- Add a Tbsp or so of marinara sauce to the center of each eggplant slice and then cover with a slice of cheese (you can trim the cheese to size as desired) and some tomato slices. Close lid and reduce heat to minimum while cheese melts and aubergine cooks (about 5 minutes).
- Using well padded oven mitts remove skillet to a protected cooling area. Being mindful of continued heat of skillet, carefully remove eggplant slices to eating surface (a spatula works well). Top with fresh basil.
- See Notes below for best results.
Skillet Size: I'm using a relatively small (9") skillet in these photos - you could use a larger skillet (or two if you have) or work in batches.
Thickness of Eggplant Slices: if you cut the slices thinner than ½" the eggplant will be too soft and start to disintegrate. Better to work with slightly thicker pieces.
Fresh Basil: if you add the basil too soon it will burn (it happened to me a number of times) - you can tuck a few pieces under the cheese if you wish but mostly it works best to top the slices with it once cooked.
The Base: if tomato is not your thing, skip the marinara and consider a pesto base.
The Toppings: the sky is the limit! Switch up the greens (arugula, chard, kale, spinach and the full suite of garden herbs) add sliced veg or pops of fruit if you wish (arugula and cherry is a delicious combo). Try any number of cheese varieties (including vegan) or skip that element all together. Asiago, Parmesan, fontina and provolone would all be classic choices but you could also go with something deeper in the blue cheese family if you wish. We enjoyed a feta/kalamata/spinach variety the other night that was delicious. Peach and creamy ricotta are next. I also experimented with shredded cheese which allowed the marinara to poke through more creating a nice effect.
Really lovely!
I just love the presentation and what a beautiful clicks.
Love your tip to use the grill and cast iron.. while I’ve done this before, I often forget about it. This flexible recipe has my mouthwatering, Kelly! I can see this, a few sprinkles of pepper flakes, a glass of wine and a big slab of french bread in my future. Absolutely scrumptious and so in season! Thank you for this xo
Such an awesome and easy recipe! Can I use regular instead of cherry tomatoes?
Alright! I just came from Sissi’s site and studied her eggplant recipe and now yours. YAY! I’ve got 3 Black beauties growing on in my garden, tomatoes and basil so I can’t wait to try your recipes. This is like an eggplant caprese. I love it!!! And the fact that it gets cooked outside is even better. It’s just too darn hot to cook inside plus Bobby bought a cast iron skillet just for his grill, so he’ll love cooking this. Great looking eggplant dish Kelly! Thank you!
Eggplant Caprese – that’s it!!
I need to work that in somewhere :)
(meanwhile they taste just like mini lasagnes – the eggplant softens and the smoldering cheese/sauce…oh.my.)
I am sure it won’t come as a surprise to you that I am a ‘seasoned’ cast iron skillet user on the old Barbie! In fact, I just made a bulgogi in cast, right on the Barbie the other day! I have even baked a cake in an enamel cast iron pan and it turned out great!
I adore eggplant and laying a slice of creamy mozzarella on it with a wonderfully fresh marinara sauce sounds like the perfect way to celebrate summer. My Italian basil is doing so well this year too, I can’t use it quickly enough! A new, organic market just opened up near us and the prices are quite reasonable! I think I’ll head over to get a few eggplants for this wonderfully, summery dish.
seasoned eh? ;-)
Basil is a beautiful thing… I’ve been tying up our local supply of Thai basil (irreplaceable in Thai cuisine…). Now you’ve got me looking into bulgogi! It sounds like you’re having an amazing summer Eva – enjoy it to the fullest.
Your eggplants are certainly handsome indeed! (I love how you have used the word!) And the first photograph is just amazing…. I want to put it on my kitchen wall (well, then I’d crave aubergines all year long…). These grilled slices with cheese and basil sound and look fantastic! I also have Lodge pans and find them really great even on an electric hob. I imagine how perfect they are for an outdoors barbecue. And you are so right about the cheese… When I sometimes grill food under the oven broiler I hate finding cheese everywhere.
Are these your all own vegetables???
Ah, thank you Sissi. They are a handsome humble couple aren’t they? I could enjoy them on my wall too. Great idea.
As for the vegetables, I have the perfect arrangement with my neighbor. She plants and I pick. Lol. Just kidding. Every season is different but this summer, we have shared our fruit with her family while she has shared her veggies with us – a beautiful thing. I have to get a little more organized with veg planting next year but summer harvest also tends to be when we travel, so it’s a bit tricky.
It sounds like a perfect arrangement! You are lucky to have such nice neighbours (who moreover grow vegetables!).
Holy gorgeousness Batman! I want these for breakfast.
haha, thanks for the smile :)
I have a love and hate relationship with eggplant – with me it seems to be hit or miss, no matter the method of cooking I choose.
I sometimes get it perfectly on the grill, sometimes the exact same preparation gives me mushy eggplant – irritating!
your recipe is gorgeous! love everything about it!
(btw I blogged on your pickled red onions!)
eggplant is a tricky one for sure and not just the texture there’s the whole itchy mouth thing (a form of oral allergy people get); I know far too much about this stuff ;o)
They look so summery and awesome!
thanks Angie – yay for summer!