How to Freeze Eggplant

It’s fall in Minnesota. My favorite season- lots of color and some amazing weather; not too hot, but not too cold… It’s also the end of gardening season, which means a dead heat run to get in everything and anything before that first frost sets in.

I hate to admit it, but I never ever manage to save it all, or get to it all, but I give it my best. My best mostly involves using every nook and cranny of my freezer and pantry space.

Eggplants are a hard vegetable to save. I get tons and tons of them off my plants, but there are only so many you can eat right then and there, so I freeze the rest. Unfortunately, eggplants hold a lot of moisture, so it doesn’t work to freeze them raw; so I roast them for putting in everything from pastas to ‘hotdishes’ (the Minnesotan casserole) to sloppy joes.

It’s a great addition to any meal during those long winter months, and for you moms out there- a very nice and sneaky way to get some healthy veggies into your children’s diet without them knowing!

Here’s what I use: salt, garlic (or garlic salt), olive oil, eggplants and optional red pepper flakes.

Slice the eggplant into thin slices. If you’re using Japanese eggplant thinly slice as above. If using regular eggplant you’ll also want to quarter the slices (as in photo below).

Place all of slices into a bowl and combine with salt, garlic, olive oil and red pepper and mix together so that everything is coated.

Lay out eggplant on a cookie sheet and place in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice.

After about 45 minutes your eggplant will be shriveled and beautiful as above, and ready for freezing.

Let it sit to cool, then package up into freezer bags. Squeeze out all air and place in the freezer for winter-long enjoyment.

Print Recipe

Roasted Eggplant

Course

Preserving

Cuisine

Roasting

Servings

Ingredients

• 7 cups Eggplant sliced
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

Course Preserving Cuisine Roasting Servings Ingredients 7 cups Eggplant sliced 1/4 tsp. Salt 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place all of the sliced eggplant into a bowl and combine with salt, garlic, olive oil and red pepper. Mix together so that everything is coated.
2. Lay eggplant out flat in a single layer on cookie sheet and place in oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Eggplant is ready when very soft.

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