Oh-So Elegant Eggplant

F&W Best New Chef 2014 Cara Stadler creates a fantastic vegetarian dish, topping miso-baked eggplants with a bright tomato-and-herb salad and a black vinegar dressing.

Recipe: Miso-Roasted Eggplants with Tomatoes, Dill, Shiso, and Black Vinegar

In this one-skillet eggplant dish, F&Ws Kay Chun cleverly uses quick-cooking ground pork as a shortcut.

Recipe: Pork and Eggplant Stir-fry

This vegetarian sandwich — piled high with grilled eggplant, sliced avocado, pickled jalapeños and crisp cabbage — is unbelievably hearty and delicious.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant Tortas

This salad combines smoky bacon and potatoes with silky eggplant. Dill and lemon add a bright, refreshing hit of flavor.

Recipe: Eggplant Potato Salad

To maximize Chinese eggplant's texture and flavor, steam thin slices, then toss them with soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, basil, and just a little bit of oil.

Recipe: Eggplant Noodle Salad

Blogger Ashley Rodriguez creates a rich, creamy lamb ragù with delicious Greek flavors; it's a total crowd-pleaser and a nice alternative to more common Italian pasta dishes.

Recipe: Cumin Lamb Noodles with Eggplant

This grilled-vegetable version of eggplant Parmesan, like the one Grace Parisi's Calabrian grandmother used to make, is much lighter than the fried kind.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

This chunky salad has a great mix of textures, too: velvety grilled eggplant, crunchy radishes and juicy cucumbers.

Recipe: Soba Noodle Salad with Pesto and Grilled Eggplant

While writing her book, The Glorious Vegetables of Italy, Domenica Marchetti unearthed this classic Sicilian recipe. To make the dish more savory, she adds dried porcini mushrooms to the eggplant, and the porcini soaking liquid to the tomato sauce.

Recipe: Eggplant and Porcini "Meatballs" in Tomato Sauce

Spicy kimchi adds a nice kick of crunch and spice to this simple seared eggplant side dish.

Recipe: Seared Eggplant and Kimchi Stir-Fry

Check out these summer vegetable cooking tips and recipes from Food & Wine:

Ultimate Summer Vegetable Recipes

Delicious Summer Salads

Grilled Vegetables