Eggplant Gratin With Feta Cheese - Healthy Eggplant Gratin Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to eat eggplant? ›

What are the healthiest cooking methods for eggplant? The healthiest cooking methods for eggplant include baking, grilling, or roasting. These methods require minimal added fats and help retain the vegetable's nutrients.

Eggplant parmesan tends to be lighter on the stomach and is considered to be more healthy. Eggplant is also less expensive. Restaurants find that it is a much cheaper option for guests. In addition, eggplant parmesan isn't a great meal when it comes to leftovers.

Eggplants are a nutrient-rich food that contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They may benefit your overall health, including your heart.

Chlorogenic acid, also found in eggplant, is an antioxidant that not only helps prevent cancer but is also antibacterial and antiviral. Chlorogenic acid may also help to lower LDL cholesterol levels ('bad cholesterol). High levels of LDL cholesterol are a risk factor for heart disease.

Why do you soak eggplant in water and vinegar? Soaking eggplant in water and vinegar helps remove some of the vegetable's natural bitterness. This step also helps preserve some of the skin's color so it stays a vibrant purple even after cooking.

Soak it in milk.

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

Salting the eggplant before cooking draws out excess moisture so the eggplant has a stronger flavor and a softer, more tender texture. Less water = more flavor. Does eggplant need to be salted? Eggplant does not necessarily need to be salted, but some recipes benefit from the process.

Fiber in eggplant and other plants can help people control weight, prevent overweight and obesity. A person following a high-fiber diet will eat less of other foods because fiber makes people feel fuller for longer. Eggplants are high in fiber and low in calories - they can contribute to a healthy, low-calorie diet.

The eggplant reached Southern Italy by the 9th century CE. Arabs brought the fruits along with them as they expanded their territory into the region. Melanzane was consumed by fearless foodies in the Calabrian and Sicilian regions of Italy, although some people were initially wary of the funny egg-shaped produce.

Including zucchini in everyday diet will undoubtedly improve your immune system and overall health. Yet, zucchini is a bit healthier than the eggplant. By consuming 100 grams of zucchini you'll' receive 16kcal, while when you eat eggplant in the same amount, you will get 24 kcal.

What is the secret to cooking eggplant? ›

Eggplants are known to absorb a lot of fat while cooking. A useful tip to prevent sogginess and greasiness is to salt sliced or diced eggplant and let it sit for an hour. This helps to draw out moisture. Next, rinse and drain any liquid from the sliced eggplant, then pat dry before cooking.

Older recipes call for salting eggplant to draw out the bitter juices, but today's eggplants are less bitter (unless very large), so salting is largely unnecessary. It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream.

Answer. Eggplant flesh will have tan to brown colored spots around the seeds. If this is the color you are referring to, it is edible. If the flesh is more brown than white, the eggplant may be spoiling and should be discarded.

Wondering whether you can eat eggplant raw? It's OK in small quantities, but it's better if eggplant is cooked.

That's too bad, because the skin of purple eggplants contains its most valuable nutrient, a powerful antioxidant called nasunin, one of a type of flavonoid called anthocyanins present in many fruits and vegetables with red, blue and purple hues (berries, beets and red cabbage, to name a few).

Steaming is, in general, the way to retain the most nutrients in a vegetable. But it's boring, and by the very act of eating a vegetable, you're eating healthy (so long a it's not a French Fry or Awesome Blossom). Grilling is a nice way to eat an eggplant. As is sauteeing in a ratatouille.

“nu*trient capacity will decrease a bit with some vegetables while access to certain nutrients may go up with others.” The 2009 Spanish study found artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, celery, eggplant, green beans, onions and spinach kept their antioxidant capacity after baking.