Spicy Grilled Eggplant

This Spicy Grilled Eggplant is a perfect summer side dish for anything that’s cooked on the grill and red pepper sauce, parsley, and mint add to the flavor!

I first made this Spicy Grilled Eggplant when I had a garden that was overflowing with eggplant, and I made it every summer for a while when I was growing eggplant. Of course this spicy grilled eggplant is perfect for a meatless dinner, but this spicy eggplant is also a fabulous side dish for anything cooked on the grill! I know eggplant is a tough sell for some people, but for years I’ve been saying give grilled eggplant a chance, and I promise that this spicy eggplant is really delicious. You’ll want to adjust the amount of spicy red pepper to your personal preference, and the one teaspoon of Aleppo pepper I used in the original recipe is pretty spicy for me now.

Ingredients:

• 1 large globe eggplant
• 2 tsp. salt, to remove water from eggplant
• 2 T olive oil, to brush eggplant for grilling
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 2 T chopped fresh mint
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. garlic puree (from a jar) or finely minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp. Aleppo Pepper (or less, to taste; see notes)
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)