It takes about a half-hour of bake time for eggplant in a 450-degree oven, but it’s not as simple as just throwing it in the oven: You’ll end up with a mushy eggplant if you don’t prep it properly. Thankfully, learning how to bake eggplant is relatively simple. Start by cutting your eggplant into half-inch slices. Then, put the slices into a colander and sprinkle them with some kosher salt. Set the colander over a bowl and leave the eggplant for a half-hour or so to draw out some of the liquid. Once this is done, press your eggplant slices between paper towels to get as much moisture out as you can. Then, you can place the eggplant on a baking sheet, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and put it in the oven. Bake the eggplant for about 20 minutes, then turn over the slices and bake them for 10 more minutes. The result will be soft, nicely caramelized eggplant for your dinner table.