This easy vegan miso eggplant recipe is one of my go-to’s for meal prepping and quick weeknight dinners.
Miso eggplant (also called nasu dengaku in Japanese) is a simple and savory dish that only requires 8 ingredients, but looks and tastes gourmet. The ingredients for the sauce are fairly common in Asian cooking. If you enjoy Asian cooking/recipes, I’m willing to bet that you’ve already got the necessary ingredients for this recipe at home. Then, all you need is an eggplant or two!
This recipe has saved my butt many a time. I can recall several times that I’d totally forget about making dinner plans after a long day at work. Since I usually have all of the miso glaze ingredients on hand, all I had to do was pick up an eggplant or two on my way home from the office. When I got home, I would simply prep the eggplants and get the rice cooker. Then, dinner would be ready in about 30 minutes!
It doesn’t get much easier than this!
Let me know if you try this recipe by tagging me in your pictures and videos on Instagram (@jaclynnish). I’d love to see and share!
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Miso Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 globe eggplant sliced into 3/4" thick rounds
- 3 TSBP olive oil keep 1 TBSP separated for the glaze
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger or ginger paste I prefer pre-minced ginger from The Ginger People
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp mirin
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
Optional Toppings
- chopped green onion
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay eggplant rounds flat in an even layer.
- Use clean fingers or a basting brush to brush 1 TBSP of olive oil onto one side of the eggplants. Flip eggplants over. Brush the other TBSP of oil onto this side.
- Roast eggplants in the oven for 13-15 minutes.
- While the eggplant is roasting, make the miso glaze by combining miso paste, ginger, brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, minced garlic, and 1 TBSP oil in a small bowl. Mix well until the sauce is smooth.
- After 13-15 minutes, flip the eggplant slices over and put them back into the oven for another 13-15 minutes.
- Once done, flip the eggplants over again. Evenly spread about 1 tsp of miso glaze onto the side of the eggplant that is facing upwards. Try to cover the entire surface of the eggplant with sauce.
- Broil the eggplant on low for 3 to 5 minutes, watching very carefully, until the miso sauce starts to darken and caramelize.
- Remove from oven and top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over rice alongside your favorite vegetables and enjoy!