I have some good news and some bad news. Because I believe in ripping off my Band-Aids, let’s go with the bad first.
My eBook isn’t ready. There were some last minute formatting issues that have prevented me from making it available to you all today. I’m totally bummed, but that just means that when that day does arrive (hopefully in the next 10-14 days), you’ll be receiving the best possible Inspiralized cookbook.
Now that the Band-Aid’s off, let’s start feeling better. Ready for the good news?
The good news is that you can spiralize an eggplant. Well, sort of. Today, instead of announcing the launch of my eBook, I’m going to teach you how to spiralize an eggplant.
Eggplant is tricky. Because of its soft flesh and plentiful tiny seeds inside, it’s difficult to spiralize. When you load the eggplant into a spiralizer (first making sure to slice the ends off and then chop in half) and pop in Blade C, you’ll notice immediately upon cranking the handle that the eggplant resists. The eggplant flesh gets chopped and the noodles that do materialize are soft and break with a firm pinch.
In the above picture, the left hand side shows all of the full noodles that were made from ONE HALF of an eggplant. On the right side, you’ll see that there is a lot of wasted eggplant that has crumbled or chopped from that same half of the eggplant. Sure, you can include the chopped bits in your noodle dish, but it won’t recreate that similarity to pasta that we’re looking for.
Let’s try Blade A.
These noodles come out very thin and full of seeds. Once you cook these noodles, they wilt and become floppy and not very appetizing. My suggestion: stick to Blade C.
Due to all of this, a full eggplant yields only about 1.5 cups of noodles. That’s apretty big wasteof an eggplant, if you ask me. But, if you’re not concerned about wasting most of the eggplant and want to makeeggplant noodles, I’ve included a recipe in today’s post to get you started: Eggplant Noodles with Chickpeas, Sundried Tomatoes and Raisins.
The softness of the eggplant is a nice consistency for a noodle. Typically, eggplant can be too mushy or too chewy. By cooking the noodles in a skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper, the noodles are velvety and firm enough to resemble a noodle and the flavors shine through. Plus, these noodles absorb flavor fantastically!
The verdict: While I wouldn’t recommend spiralizing an eggplant because it wastes so much of the actual vegetable, the noodles are surprisingly delicious. Plus, they’re a totally unique and original taste and texture. When was the last time that you were served eggplant noodles? I’m gonna take a gander and say never.
How to Spiralize an Eggplant: Eggplant Noodles
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Servings 1
Print Recipe Pin On Pinterest Leave Review
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant Blade C
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp oregano flakes
- 3 sundried tomatoes sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup chickpeas
- 1 tbsp raisins
Instructions
Place a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the olive oil into the pan. Once the oil heats, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the red pepper flakes, cook for 30 seconds and then add in the eggplant noodles.
Stir the noodles and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add in the chickpeas, sundried tomatoes and raisins. Cook for about 5 minutes or until eggplant begins to darken in color.
Plate into a bowl and enjoy!
with love, Ali
comments
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Susan I had already spiralized an eggplant; I just kept the "waste" with the noodles, and treated it as part of the "toppings". I think I still prefer zucchini noodles, but the eggplant noodles were a nice change, and a good way to get someone to try a new veggie.
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Gwen @simplyhealthyfamily IDK, making them into noodles might just get my 3 little picky eaters to gobble them up! I wouldn't mind eating the not so pretty 'noodles' ;}
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Alissandra Maffucci
Gwen - thanks for the comment - give it a try and let me know!
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self I froze the eggplant prior to spiralizing. The appropriately timed spiralizing was quite successful.
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Will I'm often looking for ways to prepare eggplant without too much effort. (Often when I buy them I don't usually have a dish planned.) I think by getting a spiralizer this may be the way. Besides this dish does look appetizing :)
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Alissandra Maffucci Will - yes, get yourself a spiralizer! I personally don't like eggplant, but I really enjoyed them spiralized! Thanks for the comment.
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Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl My father loves eggplant and I'm always trying to make him eat healthier, this is a perfect dish to send to him. Thanks!
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Alissandra Maffucci I'm so glad! It's definitely a new way to enjoy eggplant. The eggplant takes on a whole new life! Thanks for the comment.
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Alexandra Maul - Made to Glow Love this idea! I've never thought about making eggplant noodles, but now I have to try it! Thank you :)
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Alissandra Maffucci Thank you so much - I hope you try it!
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Stephie G. I use eggplant as lasagna noodles. If you want a spaghetti consistency, use a zucchini. But not all noodles have to be long and skinny. And since I love eggplant but don't like lasagna noodles, it works great for me.
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ty I bet because of the little pieces it would make a good eggplant "rice"! I am going to give it a try
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Francesca That's a good idea ty.
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Dante This may just one of the vegetables that is best prepped without a spiralizer if you want to make noodles with it. This Food Network Star created recipe has 50+ reviews with a 5 Star average rating and is accomplished with just a knife and cutting board… and no wasted Eggplant:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggplant-pasta-recipe.htmlIf you just can't bear the thought of leaving your spiralizer out of the action then Baba Ganoush would be the perfect use for the broken mushy bits:http://www.food.com/recipe/baba-ganoush-the-best-in-the-world-67570
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Alissandra Maffucci Of course, you can make vegetable pasta without a spiralizer, but it won't result in spirals like the spiralizer does. The knife method just results in straight strips of eggplant, which isn't as similar to the pasta consistency as it would be with a spiralizer. It's a great method and option if people want to make eggplant noodles, but I won't be featuring it on my blog.
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Dante I've been using spiralizers for well over a decade, and while there's definitely a bit more work involved to produce thin straight noodles with a knife it can produce just as pasta like a consistency as any made with a spiralizing tool when it comes to Eggplant specifically. Cooked eggplant noodles no longer hold their spirals and straighten out when softened by the heat anyway so that's largely irrelevant. I wasn't suggesting you feature a non spiralized approach on your blog, was simply sharing here in the comments an alternative for those who would like to avoid all the "waste" produced by spiralizing this particular vegetable… and a suggestion of what to do with that waste for those who do still choose to spiralize it. :) I LOVE spiralizing, I've just personally found that Eggplant is one of the ones better handled in another way.
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Alissandra Maffucci Yup - I totally agree!
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Dante Oh, and I almost forgot to add this super tip regarding eggplant, especially for those who are spiralizing!Male eggplants have dramatically fewer seeds than female eggplants. You can identify the males by the smaller rounder "bellybutton" on the bottom vs the females which have a longer narrow slit marking.This picture is a good example of the difference:http://organichousewives.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/2012-09-13_14-07-21_2412.jpgMany cooks favor males because the seeds are what bring the characteristically bitter flavor to eggplant.Of course the males offer an extra advantage to those spiralizing since the seeds are the main reason for the breakage. Before I started making eggplant noodles by hand, going with a male plant would provide closer to 75% noodles vs bits as opposed to the 50/50 you found in your experimenting.
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Alissandra Maffucci Thanks!
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Francesca Thank you Ali for your fabulous technique, advice and tips. I love your honesty and personal opinion on the vegetable of choice for spiralizing. It's very helpful. Thank you.
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plasterer bristol this recipe is delicious, thanks for sharing. I'm always looking for new recipes to try :-)Simon
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Nan Have you tried spiralizing the " Finger" or "Oriental" Eggplant? They are shaped like the Zucchinis, so should have less waste. It seems like they would work better, but may have too much skin?
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Anonymous I am new to spiralizing. I have an abundance of eggplant. I am thinking of making noodles and then using the "waste" in baba ganoush. That way everything get's used and I have both items with relatively little time.
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ibrahimali I am a regular member of this site, I always notice that your blog posts are so unique and well explained with deep information. Tnx for the splendid post. I must share your post on my social medias and "mypasta makers website" for giving you maximum coverage of visitor of the post.
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Erika Mittermaier Hey! I am going to try this with a Japanese eggplant! Those are longer, thinner, and more likely to spiralize despite the pithy flesh. I will let you know how it goes; thanks for the recipe : ) (I might try to make a basil-cashew sauce to go with it- we'll see.)~Erika
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Carly Glazer Hi Erika! Yes let us know how it turns out!
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