While Italians don’t shy away from tasty chicken, beef and pork dishes, we also take pride in preparing vegetables with as much love and care as we give our meats. That’s why we’re putting the focus on the beautiful purple eggplant, or melanzane in Italiano.

Whether you want to expand your veggie repertoire, cook a little lighter or just like trying new things, we hope you enjoy these three ways to prepare eggplant Italian style.

Eggplant Parmigiana

In the United States, many may see eggplant parmigiana as just a vegetarian menu option that substitutes for the popular chicken dish. But Southern Italians have been making parmigiana di melanzane for so long that people are still arguing about how it got started.

We would recommend trying this recipe from The Spruce Eats or this one from Bon Appetit.

Grilled Eggplant

As this recipe from Saveur, points out, Italians frequently pay attention to their veggie side dishes with a light grilling or sauté, followed by a good toss in a vinaigrette.

Grilled eggplant can also be served as an appetizer. For something on the simpler side, we like this easy Italian-style recipe from Williams Sonoma.

Eggplant Rollatine

If you love stuffed pasta shells or lasagna rolls, you’ll love eggplant rollatine (or rollatini). We prefer to bread our eggplant and give it a good fry before stuffing and rolling the slices, but you can forgo the extra carbs and opt for a lighter version.

If you’re savvy in the kitchen and have some free time, here’s a recipe from Bon Appetit that calls for fresh homemade breadcrumbs. But we won’t tell if you substitute some that Doris made for you. Cooking Light offers a version without any breading and substitutes canola oil for olive oil.

We hope you enjoy your eggplant kitchen adventures. If you do end up trying any of these recipes, we’d love for you share with us on Facebook. Don’t hesitate to come to your Doris Market for fresh ingredients, answer any questions you may have or help you solve any cooking problems.