This Mediterranean Easy Baked Eggplant Salad is flavored with delicious warm spices and a great salad to serve as a side dish or dip. The only vegetable you will need to bake is the eggplant. All the other veggies in the salad are raw, which helps keep the salad fresh and vibrant.
Fresh & Vibrant
This eggplant salad is a staple in Libya and the way my grandma and mother make it is with a simple lemon olive oil dressing. The lemon and olive oil keeps the salad light and fresh. Baked eggplant is rich and a simple dressing compliments it. There are different variations of this eggplant salad across the middle east. The dressing I decided to make with this salad is a blend of those various variations. I added a little bit of pomegranate molasses and red onion. I also seasoned the eggplant with Mediterranean spices: cumin, coriander and sumac. Those additional spices elevate the flavors in the salad. Currently, I follow an 85% plant-based and 15% meat/dairy diet. Therefore, I am always looking for more ways to consume veggies and I sometimes I will make this salad as the main dish for dinner and will serve it with a side of rice with beans. To make this salad hearty, you can add any type of grain to it.
Easy Baked Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Large Eggplants Cut into cubes
- 3 Large Tomatoes Chopped
- 1/2 cup Parsley Finely chopped
- 1 Jalapeño finely chopped Optional
- 1/3 cup Green Olives chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sumac optional
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Pomegranate molasses optional
- Salt to your liking
- Black Pepper to your liking
- 2 tablespoons Red onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- In a bowl, add the eggplants cut into small cubes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin, corriander and sumac. Toss the eggplants with your hands to ensure they are all well coated in the oil and spices. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and place it in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and golden. During the baking process, stir the eggplants a few times to make sure it cooks evenly.
- While the eggplant bakes, make the dressing. In a mason jar, add the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, black pepper and red onion. Taste the dressing and addtional seasoning to your liking.
- Once the eggplant has cooked, pour into a bowl and add the tomatoes, jalapeños, parsley, olives and dressing and mix well. Taste the salad and addtional seasoning to your liking.
- Top it off with toasted pine nuts or walnuts and enjoy!
