Eggplant, also known as aubergine, is available year round. It’s a wonderful, hearty vegetable that can be used in amazing ways. One cup of cubed eggplant contains 20 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 percent of your daily doses of both potassium and folate. It’s rich in flavonoids like chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid which may help fight cancer and protect cells from damage.
Today’s recipe is another veggie dish classic, Roasted Eggplant with Lemon Tahini Sauce. Choose medium or small eggplants that are shiny, smooth, firm, and heavy for their size. You can slice the eggplant in small circles or do long oval slices. It makes a great appetizer or side dish. For a main entree, add nuts such as pistachio nuts.
Pat the eggplant dry and then brush both sides of slices with olive oil seasoning mix with cumin, fragrant herbs, a little crushed pepper, and zesty lemon. Bake in the oven, remove, and pat any extra moisture off with a paper towel. While the eggplant bakes, mix the Lemon Tahini Sauce. Serve the roasted eggplant with Lemon Tahini Sauce with fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds, or toasted pine nuts. You’ll have outstanding flavor that goes well with many entrees including lamb.
Easy Roasted Eggplant With Lemon Tahini Sauce
Use organic when available. Serves 4
Easy Roasted Eggplant with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant cut into 1/2" thick slices
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, basil, or parsley finely chopped
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3 tbsp tahini
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or 204 C
- Line baking tray with parchment paper
- Mix olive oil, oregano, lemon zest, grated garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper and cumin
- Add lemon juice and blend well with a fork
- Save 1/2 the seasoning mix for tahini sauce
- Place eggplant slices on tray in single layer
- Brush 1/2 seasoning mix on both sides of eggplant
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until tender, but not mushy
- While eggplant bakes, mix the saved seasoning mix with tahini
- Add one or two tablespoons water as needed to make sauce
- If sauce is too tangy, add 1 or 2 tsp maple syrup
- Move baked eggplant to serving dish
- Add pistachio nuts if using
- Top with additional herbs and drizzle tahini sauce and pomegranate seeds
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Ooh, that sounds so good! I love eggplant but unfortunately my husband doesn’t. He’s not a fussy eater but this is just one thing he can’t abide.
I’ve been thinking I might try this recipe with zucchini – what do you think?
Eggplant sounds so good for you! It’s something that I don’t really eat but reading about it, I should!
This looks and sounds so good.
Love eggplant and this is one of my favourites!
While eggplant is not my favorite, I have found a creative dish like this one makes me want to try it again, and that lemon tahini sauce is really calling my name! Visiting from #MMBC.
Looks delicious.
Jan – I love the sound of this recipe – eggplant and tahini sauce are two of my favorites. Unfortunately, hubby does not like eggplant … so this probably will not make the list any time soon!
I don’t eat eggplant much, but this looks like it would be wonderful with the lemon tahini. The pomegranate seeds would be wonderful, too. Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #48 linkup! We hope you’ll share more at #49, too. Happy weekend!
I still have some eggplant left from my garden, this recipe will come in handy. Pinned. Visiting from Thursday Favorite Things.