Eggplants contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that make this vegetable a good addition to a healthful diet. Baking a whole eggplant gives the flesh inside of it a buttery, soft consistency that's as versatile as it is tasty. An eggplant is porous and absorbs a lot of oil, so baking one whole is an excellent way to keep from adding extra fat. Making baked eggplant is fairly easy, and requires no fancy equipment or tools. Let the eggplant cool completely before you try to peel it, and be careful of escaping steam when you cut it open.

Wash your eggplant thoroughly and pat it dry with paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. The eggplant may deflate and settle a little as it cooks, and this will help keep the skin from sticking.

Poke the eggplant six or seven times, all over its skin. This allows steam to escape so that the eggplant doesn’t split.

Place the eggplant on the baking sheet and put it into the hot oven. Bake it for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a fork poked into it slides all the way in with no resistance.