This Roasted Eggplant Caprese is a cinch to throw together for a simple weeknight meal.  If you’re a fan of the Caprese Salad you’re going to dig this variation.  It’s light but filling and we think it pairs wonderfully with a grilled steak or fish.  It’s one of those recipes that is up to your imagination.  If you’re not a fan of fresh mozzarella, opt for goat cheese or feta.  If you are die-hard basil fan substitute it for the parsley.   Don’t have balsamic vinegar on hand?  It’s great with both sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.   Feel like roasted tomatoes? Throw the cherry tomatoes in the oven with the eggplant…they caramelize and make it simply succulent ( I definitely prefer it this way but unfortunately my husband and kids have some issues with the texture of roasted tomatoes…so they typically win that battle).    I just love recipes like this…it makes it so fun to be creative in the kitchen!

Roasted Eggplant Caprese

Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2007

Ingredients

1 3/4-2 Pounds Eggplant, cut  into 1-inch cubes

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes

1 Cup Cubed Fresh Mozzarella

1 Avocado, diced

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 450.  Place the eggplant on a baking sheet,  drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Roast in the oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes, stirring twice in between.  Remove from oven and place in a medium sized bowl; allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, avocado and chopped parsley to the eggplant, toss to combine and serve.