So simple. So delicious. For this Grilled Eggplant Parmesan recipe, you grill not only the eggplant but also the tomatoes for the sauce. Grilling the tomatoes caramelizes the tomatoes and intensifies their sweetness. The whole dish can be on the table in under 30 minutes, is incredibly delicious and tastes like Summer itself. Serve it with a simple green salad like this Arugula Fennel Salad with Pommery Mustard Vinaigrette or this luscious Peach Burrata Salad or even Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Lime for a complete and satisfying meal.

finished dish - grilled eggplant parmesan — Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

When we are in residence in our mountain home in Asheville, North Carolina, we love dining in the numerous excellent chef-owned restaurants in the city. There are more such restaurants per capita in Asheville than in any place I’ve been and it is one of the main reasons we chose Asheville for our vacation home. These food-driven restaurants source many of their ingredients from the abundant local produce and animal farms and from various other food makers of the region. Those farmers and makers set up booths at a number of weekly farmer’s markets around town. Others have a permanent presence at the huge daily Western North Carolina Farmers Market, which is so large, you have to drive through it. With all of this culinary bounty around me, I do want to cook, but it's our vacation home in the mountains, so I don’t want to be indoors in the kitchen.

So, when we are in Asheville, I grill as much as possible out on our back deck, which overlooks the French Broad River, the River Arts District, downtown Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond. To me, it’s magical.

Grilled eggplant parmesan with a view — Grilled Eggplant Parmesan with a view!

This recipe is based on one in Mark Bittman’s excellent cookbook “How to Grill Everything,” which was given to me as a bridal gift by some dear girlfriends. I’ve streamlined the recipe a bit to enable me to spend even less time in the kitchen.

Ingredients for Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Quality of ingredients is so important for this eggplant parmesan on the grill recipe that has only 7 main ingredients. The tomatoes especially. Tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper are the ONLY ingredients in the sauce, so your tomatoes need to be perfectly ripe and super sweet. Good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar also make a big difference and I find that an aged balsamic, with it's richer, thicker texture, improves the taste of the dish significantly. You don’t have to spend a fortune for aged balsamic. Trader Joe’s has an excellent one for $5.99 (as of Spring 2022). If you're feeling flush, there is nothing quite like this Giuseppe Giusti "Quarto Centenario" Balsamic. Sweet, thick and intense, I've seen this 15 year old vinegar described as "semi-sweet elixir from the gods." It is quite expensive and I don't use balsamic vinegars of this quality for every day use. But again, this is a recipe of few ingredients, so each one has to contribute a lot to the combined flavor.

Do you need to salt eggplant before grilling?

No! There's no need to salt the eggplant before making this grilled eggplant parmesan. The only time you need to salt eggplant is if you are frying it. Fried eggplant is crispier and absorbs less oil when it's been pre-salted. But here we are grilling the eggplant, so no salting or pre-soaking is necessary.

ingredients for grilled eggplant parmesan — Ingredients for eggplant Parmesan on the grill

grape or cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar

eggplant
sea salt
black pepper

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
mozzarella cheese
fresh basil

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

grape tomatoes splitting and charring on the grill — Grape tomatoes splitting and charring on the grill

Heat a gas, charcoal or electric grill to medium. In a medium bowl, toss tomatoes in the olive oil. Dump the tomatoes directly on the grill grates or you can use a perforated grill pan. Close the grill hood and then turn or shake the tomatoes every couple of minutes for 5-8 minutes until tomatoes begin to split, bubble and char in spots. Then remove the tomatoes from the grill, place them on a cutting board, coarsely chop them with a chef’s knife and scoop into a small saucepan.

eggplant slices with perfect grill marks — Eggplant slices with perfect grill marks

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the vinaigrette. Place the slices directly on grill and close the grill cover. To heat the sauce, set the saucepan of chopped tomatoes on the grill next to the eggplant slices (or on low heat on your stove if you prefer). Grill eggplant 3-5 minutes per side until eggplant softens noticeably and grill marks are visible.

Eggplant slices on the grill with cheese and basil

Top each slice of eggplant with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Top Parmesan with a slice of mozzarella cheese (or a partial slice (depending on the eggplant size) and top with a basil leaf or two. Close the grill hood and heat for an additional 2 minutes until cheese is melted.

grilled eggplant with parmesan — Grilled Eggplant with Parmesan

Stack eggplant slices on serving plates 3-4 slices high, with 2-3 tablespoons of sauce topping each slice. Top the stack with basil leaves and additional Parmesan and serve.

Variations

This Grilled Eggplant Parmesan recipe is so simple, but can be altered slightly to deliver different flavors. It is a vegetarian recipe, but it can be easily made vegan.

Spicy - add crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce when heating before serving. The Burlap and Barrel spice company sells the best spices I've bought at any price and focuses on supporting small farmers around the world who produce intensely flavorful spices not previously available in the US. Burlap and Barrel sells 3 of my favorite red pepper flakes: Silk Chili Flakes , Red Jalapeño Chili Flakes and Smoked Chipotle Chili Flakes.
Saucier - if your cherry tomatoes aren't sweet and flavorful, you can always substitute another tomato sauce. This Hearty Marinara Sauce would be excellent in this Grilled Eggplant Parmesan recipe.
Vegan - substitute vegan Parmesan and mozzarella cheese for the dairy versions in this recipe

Equipment

The previous owners of our house left us this beautiful top rated Weber Q3200 propane grill. I love it because it has both open and solid grate areas, so my asparagus and other thin items don’t fall into the fire. (I know this has also happened to you!) It also has 2 burners and, although the grill area is large, the grill itself is low profile. Equally important, the electronic ignition has never let me down.

Our primary home is in a condominium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There, gas or charcoal grills are prohibited. So, I use this Ninja Foodi Pro XL 7-in-1 Grill/Griddle Combo for dishes like this. I was skeptical at first about adding yet another countertop appliance until a friend told me how wonderful the Ninja is and how it transformed her cooking. I find it pretty amazing because it delivers that “grilled outside” flavor smoke-free. And clean-up is a breeze since all cooking components can be put straight into the dishwasher. For you condo or apartment dwellers, I can’t recommend this product enough. It can be used hood open or closed and it also functions as an air fryer, pancake griddle and dehydrator.

Top tip

Grills vary tremendously in power and temperatures. You may need to adjust grill times for both the tomatoes and the eggplant based on how hot your particular grill runs.

Recipe