Since the weather has been warming up here in Central Illinois, Andrew and I have been taking advantage of the unusually high temperatures by firing up the grill and dining al fresco each evening. This light and simple salad is one of my favorite dishes to make once the weather warms up. It’s hearty enough for a healthy light lunch but also makes for a wonderful side dish to grilled meats. And the flavor? Well this flavor combination couldn’t get any better! Grilled eggplant topped with goat cheese crumbles, toasted pine nuts, basil and mint, then drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
One Year Ago: Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch wide slices
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Source: Food Network
The combination of ingredients is great!
Gorgeous – perfect warm weather food for cooking on the grill!
those look so yummy! I can’t believe you are eating outside in March in Illinois though… what the heck? Here in Greece it’s still too cold for that haha.
these look so beautiful! what a tasty way of using eggplant!
d
Delicious – quick and easy to prepare.
I like everything about these. Being able to grill them in March and then dine al fresco? Perfect!
I love eggplant thrilled and your toppings are superb.
yum! I think I might have just discovered what I am having for dinner tonight 🙂 thank you!
Loving this healthy, flavorful dish. I’ll have to fire up my grill too – it’s getting warmer here in LA 😀
Reblogged this on finnegan2749.
Yum… we’re about to fire up our grill as well!! Yay!! Love goat cheese and pine nuts on top.. they’re very pretty!!
This sounds amazing – it has all of my favorite ingredients – thanks for sharing!
Mmmm, now that sounds fantastic 🙂 I love goat cheese, and eggplant is one of my favorite ever veggies.
This salad looks delicious! I just made a sandwich that I’ll post in a few days with eggplant, goat cheese, basil! (And salami, arugula, and tomatoes too:) Salad without bread sounds so much healthier!