Easy air fryer eggplant bliss

It's a perfect match for late summer’s hardest-to-cook veggie

Benvenuti, Bean Team! Air Fryer August is coming to a close, and I’m a little sad about it. I’m definitely not quitting this efficient appliance superstar any time soon, but as we approach the fall harvest, it’s time to mix it up. It’d be remiss, though, to not end our monthlong homage by returning to the air fryer’s signature move: cooking with less oil. There’s no better way to celebrate this than with the oil-absorbing-ist veggie on the planet, the eggplant. 

Late summer to early fall is peak eggplant season, and we’re starting to see all the varieties pop up at the market, from the common globes to daintier ones like Japanese and fairy tales. What do all these berries have in common (yes, eggplant is a berry!)? They are thirsty and notorious for soaking up sauces and cooking oils like sponges. Unlike other veggies that require only a tablespoon or two to roast or sauté, eggplant demands a generous dousing. It also generally requires a longer cook time. 

There’s a lot that can go wrong, which is what gives the purple giant a bad rep with home cooks. Too little oil—or too short a cook—makes eggplant tough and leathery. Too much oil makes them greasy, and overcooking turns them to mush. How to avoid this slippery slope? The air fryer. Convection cooks ’em faster and with half the oil required by other methods, so you get golden, perfectly tender aubergines every time. 

The easiest eggplant pasta you’ll ever make

Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Air-fried eggplant is delicious on its own but can also be great piled on some toast with hummus or thrown into a veggie stir-fry. Personally, I’ve had pasta on the brain ever since I put my stove on hiatus earlier this summer. This week’s recipe—a super-speedy version of a classic pasta alla Norma—is my reintroduction to the cooktop, but I’m still saving time and energy (and oil) by using the air fryer to cook the eggplant while the pasta and sauce do their thing in the very same pan. Orzo is our carb of choice for this zippy dish, because it’s small enough to cook directly in the sauce. Bonus, this meal tastes equally delicious hot or cold. Minimal sweating, maximum flavor. That’s amore.

Orzo alla Norma