Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

Looking for a new dip for your veggies? Try baba ganoush – a signature Middle Eastern roasted eggplant puree enriched with tahini and seasoned with lemon juice and lots of garlic.
Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenBaba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

My favorite part of this dip is the smokiness that the dish brings when roasting the eggplant. I additionally roasted the garlic for this dip too. Have you ever roasted garlic before? It adds that same smokiness but also a subtle sweet flavor. Simply add cloves of garlic (you can even do the whole head of garlic at once!) in a little tin foil pouch, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Seal up the foil and roast along with the eggplant. This will also help incorporate the garlic flavor throughout the dip because it is much easier to blend since it is softer when you puree the dip.

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenI picked up a bunch of eggplant at my last farmer’s market visit. It’s been sitting in my refrigerator because I just couldn’t decide what to make. I had so many recipe ideas running through my head. #foodbloggerproblems
Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenMy extended family decided this year to do a big fantasy football draft. It was pretty entertaining. One thing about our family is that we are all very loud. So all of in the room trying to have an organized fantasy draft = chaos. Everyone was just talking over each other, but once we figured everything out, everyone picked their teams. Wish me luck this season!

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenBaba ganoush is very similar to hummus, but instead of chickpeas being the base, roasted eggplant is. Don’t skimp on the tahini (ground sesame seeds). It really adds that extra boost of flavor, plus heart healthy unsaturated fats.
Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen
You can use baba ganoush like in any application where you would use hummus. Spread it on a sandwich instead of mayo. Swirl it in to mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower to kick it up with some flavor. Or just simply dunk with your favorite veggies or pita chips.

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) in a white bowl

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

  • Author: Julie @ RDelicious Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 large eggplant
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to (high) broil.
  2. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and place on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. On a small piece of tin foil, add the garlic cloves, drizzle over 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Loosely wrap the foil around the garlic. Place the wrapped garlic on the baking sheet with the eggplant.
  4. Broil for 5 minutes, turn eggplant and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Turn broiler off, but do not remove eggplant from the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 25 minutes.
  5. Remove from pan, wrap the rounds in foil to lock in moisture; let sit for about 5 minutes.
  6. Peel away most of the skin of the eggplant and add flesh to a food processor. It should be soft and tender and the skin should come off easy. Add the roasted garlic tahini, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and parsley. Process until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Garnish with additional parsley. Serve with pita chips and veggies.

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis

So I went to Trader Joe’s today and picked up a few things. My friend Kim told me about these mini raviolis they had there. I just had to get them. They are just so little and cute! I also picked up 2 small eggplants that I wanted to use for dinner tonight. The rest of the ingredients were inspired from just rummaging through my kitchen and used what I had on hand.

Eggplant RD.jpg

dinner3.jpg
 
mini raviolis RD1.jpg
 

Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis
Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of mini raviolis (can be substituted with any type of pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small (or 1 large) eggplant, peeled and diced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (make sure it’s in it’s own juices – no salt added)
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook mini raviolis (or other pasta) according to package directions
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the eggplant to the skillet with 1 tsp of the salt. Eggplant is very porous and adding a little salt will help release the moisture and allow it to absorb the flavors in the dish.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, spinach, and oregano. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, to taste.
5. If you want the mixture to have a little more liquid, add a ladle of water from your pasta pot.
6. Drain the pasta, and top with the tomato, eggplant, spinach mixture. Top with parmesan cheese (optional).


mini raviolis RD2.jpg

Screen shot 2013-09-04 at 9.30.51 PM.png

(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!