Eggplant Napoleon is a wonderful vegetarian appetizer or light meal. You’ll stack grilled eggplant, fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella, then drizzle everything with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s so tasty!
This easy veggie recipe is inspired by a recent meal while traveling. It’s simple to make and makes use of fresh summer produce. I love eggplant, especially when I find them at farmer’s markets in the summer.
When I’m not making this vegetable Napoleon, I’m making this easy eggplant parmesan or my favorite recipe for roasted eggplant (I love the spices we use). I also use eggplant to make baba ganoush (a simple eggplant dip).
How to Make Eggplant Napoleon
I love roasted or grilled eggplant for this recipe. I often use my grill pan to grill eggplant slices indoors, but an outdoor grill works, too. I love adding those grill marks. If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, roast your eggplant slices instead. I’ve included tips in the recipe below.
Once your eggplant is grilled or roasted, you’ll make the veggie napoleons by stacking them with slices of fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella.
To bring everything together, grab some high-quality balsamic vinegar or use a balsamic glaze and drizzle it over the stacked vegetables. Do the same with extra-virgin olive oil, and then finish with some flaky sea salt. Delicious!
If you don’t have access to eggplant, try slices of zucchini or summer squash. If it’s wintertime, try roasting slices of butternut squash and use them between the layers instead.
Easy Eggplant Napoleon
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Eggplant Napoleon is a delicious vegetarian dish perfect for an appetizer or light meal. Layers of grilled eggplant, fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella are drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a burst of summer flavor. Substitute zucchini, summer squash, or even roasted butternut squash if you do not have eggplant.
You Will Need
2 medium eggplants, about 2 pounds
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Balsamic vinegar for serving
Flaky sea salt for serving
Directions
1Prep the eggplant: Remove the stem end of the eggplants and slice them into 1-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle with salt and let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
2Brush both sides and the edges of the eggplant slices with olive oil.
3Heat a grill pan over medium heat (or preheat your outdoor grill to medium). Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the grill pan. Grill for about 5 minutes per side or until tender and you see grill marks.
4While the eggplant grills, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into 1/2-inch thick slices. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with salt.
5Assemble the Napoleons: Layer the grilled eggplant with seasoned tomato slices, mozzarella, and basil.
6Drizzle the stacked vegetables with balsamic vinegar and a bit more olive oil. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky salt, and enjoy!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Roasted Eggplant Slices: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season and oil the eggplant slices. Roast the eggplant for 20 minutes, flip, and then roast for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the eggplant is tender and caramelized.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
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Your photographs make me want to leap into the computer and dig into those eggplant stacks. They look soooo inviting.
Great minds think alike! I just served these for dinner before logging on to check my mail!
that looks delicious! Can’t wait for tomatoes and eggplants to come into season here.
Wow…that looks so good…and veggies to boot!
Thanks guys we really appreciate the comments 🙂 , grilling the eggplant makes this dish for sure! So tender and sweet. Also, perfect for the season.
I love the flavors and the beautiful colors of this dish.
Great recipe! What a creative use for eggplant- so yummy for summer. I do a lot of cooking with all natural sea salt; and love how you used it here. SaltWorks has the largest variety of sea salt that I’ve found, and there is a wide amount of colors, textures, and flavors (a whole world of salt I just discovered). You should take a look- a lot of options to be completely creative in the kitchen. Free shipping too!
Mmmmm I WANT to EAT this!! Yummy! I love roasted eggplant.