Bruschetta, but betta! Traditional bruschetta gets a delicious upgrade thanks to smoky roasted eggplant in this Eggplant Bruschetta recipe. It's the perfect summer appetizer, and it happens to be pretty healthy, too. I hope you enjoy this tasty twist on bruschetta!
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Eggplant bruschetta
Most eggplant bruschetta recipes replace delicious crostini with slices of roasted eggplant as the base and simply spoon the traditional tomato bruschetta on top. So you have a floppy slice of eggplant that you have to eat with a fork and knife while the flavorful tomato pieces fall off. This recipe is NOT that.
The crisp toasted sliced baguette is NOT negotiable in bruschetta. One of the best parts about bruschetta is the combination of textures as you bite in: the crunchy baguette that crumbles slightly, the garlicky zesty soft tomatoes that taste like summer. So perfect together. I don't skip the crostini base, and neither should you.
This recipe uses cubed roasted eggplant combined with traditional tomato bruschetta to give it a healthy, delicious, smoky upgrade. The eggplant cooks while you prepare the rest of the bruschetta, so the recipe doesn't take that much longer than regular bruschetta - the same amount of chopping and prep.
It's a great summer appetizer, combining fresh summer product like tomatoes, basil, and eggplant all in one dish.
Give a try and enjoy!
More unique bruschetta recipes: Tomato Avocado Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant or ½ large eggplant, diced into ½-inch pieces (3 cups diced eggplant)
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil, divided. I like to use avocado oil for roasting at high temperatures and broiling because of its higher smoke point.
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 large tomatoes, diced into ½-inch pieces (if using plum or Roma tomatoes, use 4. They are a good choice because they're usually less juicy, but your favorite ripe tomatoes will work!)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
- 2-4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, to taste (optional, but cheese always makes things better!)
- ½ cup fresh Italian basil, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 French baguette, sliced into ½ to ¾ inch slices
More crostini recipes to try: Roast Tomato with Pesto Crostini
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Fine mesh sieve or colander with small holes
- Large bowl
- Zester/grater (if grating your own Parmesan)
- Oil sprayer or basting brush
More recipes with roasted eggplant to try: Beet Baba Ghanoush
Instructions
Roast the eggplant: Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and add about 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil on top.
Place your diced eggplant on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (I used about ¼ teaspoon each). Use your hands or tongs to coat the eggplant in oil and spread the seasoning around. Spread the seasoned eggplant into a single layer.
Roast at 400F for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is caramelized and lightly browned on the bottom and cooked to your liking. Allow the eggplant to cool, but you'll need the oven to toast the baguette in a few minutes so don't turn it off.
Dice the tomatoes: While the eggplant is roasting, dice your tomatoes into small ½-inch pieces. Place the tomatoes over a colander and season with about ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir and let the extra juices drip out. You can skip this draining step, but I don't like a watery bruschetta. You can save the salted tomato juices for adding to a soup broth for a soup that contains diced tomatoes, such as tomato soup or this sweet potato sausage soup.
Prepare the bruschetta: In a large bowl, combine the roasted eggplant, drained tomatoes, minced garlic, sliced basil, and grated Parmesan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, then stir. Give it a taste and see if it needs additional salt (I don't need to add any, but it might depend on how much salt drained out with the tomato juices).
Toast the baguette: Set the oven to "broil." Remove the used parchment paper.
Place the sliced baguette on the baking sheet. Spray or brush lightly with avocado oil, Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the toasts are golden brown and toasted to your liking. Be sure to keep an eye on the toasts because they can burn quickly under the broiler heat. Allow the toasts to cool.
Serve and enjoy! Add a spoonful of the tomato eggplant bruschetta to each toast and enjoy!
More summer appetizers: Zucchini Carpaccio
Recipe tips and additions
→ The eggplant and tomato mixture can be prepared up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated in a sealed container. Just bring it to room temperature before serving.
→ The crostini are best assembled fresh to that the toast doesn't get too soggy.
→ I use a ratio of 3 cups of fresh diced eggplant and 3 tomatoes. The eggplant cooks down a lot, and this mixture ends up being about 50/50 eggplant/tomatoes, which is delicious. You can use more or less eggplant, depending on your preference.
→ You can add finely diced onion if you want, but I find that flavor reminds me a little of pico de gallo, so I stick with simple minced garlic.
→ Try adding a splash of balsamic vinegar to the bruschetta.
→ Try serving this with a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top of each piece, like I do in my cherry tomato confit and my burrata toast recipes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced eggplant - ½-inch pieces, about half a large eggplant
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil - or vegetable oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt - divided, or more to taste
- ground black pepper - to taste
- 3-4 tomatoes - diced into ½-inch pieces (use 4 plum or Roma tomatoes, or 3 large slicing tomatoes)
- 1-2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2-4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese - to taste (optional)
- ½ cup fresh Italian basil - thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large French baguette - sliced into ¾-inch slices (about 16 slices)
Special equipment
- Fine mesh sieve or colander with small holes
- Basting brush or oil sprayer
Instructions
- Roast the eggplant: Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and add about 1-2 tablespoons oil.
- Place the diced eggplant on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (I use about ¼ teaspoon each). Use your hands or tongs to coat the eggplant in oil and seasonings. Spread the eggplant cubes into a single layer.
- Roast at 400F for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is caramelized and lightly browned on the bottom and cooked to your liking. Allow the eggplant to cool. You'll need the oven again soon, so don't turn it off.
- Dice the tomatoes: While the eggplant is roasting, dice your tomatoes into small ½-inch pieces. Place the tomatoes over a colander and season with about ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir and let the extra juices drip out. Don't skip this draining step, otherwise you'll have watery bruschetta.
- Prepare the bruschetta: In a large bowl, combine the roasted eggplant, drained tomatoes, minced garlic, sliced basil, and grated Parmesan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and stir. Give it a taste and see if it needs additional salt.
- Toast the baguette: Set the oven to "broil."
- Remove the used parchment paper and place the sliced baguettes on your baking sheet. Spray or brush lightly with avocado oil. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the toasts are golden brown and toasted to your liking. Keep an eye on the toasts to make sure they don't burn.
- Serve and enjoy! Add a spoonful of the tomato eggplant bruschetta to each toast to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate
Tuesday 10th of June 2025
This is my family's favorite bruschetta now. I love how easy it is to eat veggies with this summer appetizer.