Is there anything better than slices of eggplant drizzled with olive oil, broiled to perfection, then blended together with lemon/tahini/garlic to create a creamy and decadent dip?…
Didn’t think so. And did I mention that it’s naturally vegan and gluten free? 🍆 🏅
If I had known how easy this baba ganoush recipe from Minimalist Baker was to make, I would’ve been making it like ten years ago. Of all the weird places for me to try baba ganoush for the first time was in a little Mediterranean cafe in Shanghai, China. If you’ve never had it, it’s basically like an amped up, tangier, more exotic version of hummus in my opinion.
And for those of you that think you have to grill the eggplant first or do some extensive prepping – you don’t. This recipe is seriously easy. It doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Once the eggplant is broiled, all you have to do is toss everything into the blender. And bam! You’ve got a delicious snack that also contains vitamins & nutrients not only from the eggplant, but the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and those healthy fats from the tahini and olive oil. Yes, yes and yassss 👅
Ingredients you will need:
- 1 medium eggplant or 3/4 large eggplant
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- juice from 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- optional: fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to high broil, or medium if you have the option. Place the rack at the top of the stove.
Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds.
Sprinkle the rounds with salt and place in a colander in the sink for 10 minutes to remove excess liquid. Then rinse slightly and pat dry with a towel. This is what the Minimalist Baker calls for and I did it myself, but honestly, you could probably skip this bit. I didn’t find that it made a difference at all. But you may have different results.
Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes, turning at least once. You want the eggplant to be soft and golden brown. Remove from pan, stack and wrap in foil for 5 minutes to lock in moisture.
Now comes the most time consuming part of the recipe, peeling off the skin of the eggplant. It should come off easily and it’s okay if there’s a little bit left on (in fact, I think it’s better). Add the peeled eggplant to a food processor (I used a blender and it worked just fine).
Here’s the fun part! Add in the lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and another pinch of salt. Feel free to add more seasonings as you blend everything together and taste it. I ended up adding more salt and lemon juice. Once you’re happy with the mixture, toss in parsley and pulse until incorporated.
Serve with veggies. I added kalamata olives and it was amazing! Keeps covered in the fridge for several days.
- 1 medium eggplant or ¾ large eggplant
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- juice from 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tahini
- Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- optional: fresh parsley, chopped
- Preheat the oven to high broil, or medium if you have the option. Place the rack at the top of the stove.
- Slice your eggplant into ¼ inch rounds.
- Sprinkle the rounds with salt and place in a colander in the sink for 10 minutes to remove excess liquid. Then rinse slightly and pat dry with a towel. This is what the Minimalist Baker calls for and I did it myself, but honestly, you could probably skip this bit. I didn't find that it made a difference at all. But you may have different results.
- Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes, turning at least once. You want the eggplant to be soft and golden brown. Remove from pan, stack and wrap in foil for 5 minutes to lock in moisture.
- Now comes the most time consuming part of the recipe, peeling off the skin of the eggplant. It should come off easily and it's okay if there's a little bit left on (in fact, I think it's better). Add the peeled eggplant to a food processor (I used a blender and it worked just fine).
- Here's the fun part! Add in the lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and another pinch of salt. Feel free to add more seasonings as you blend everything together and taste it. I ended up adding more salt and lemon juice. Once you're happy with the mixture, toss in parsley and pulse until incorporated.
- Serve with veggies. I added kalamata olives and it was amazing! Keeps covered in the fridge for several days.
Filling and savory, you will love this simple dish! Enjoy!
Jillian 💙
Leave a Reply