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    You Are Here Home » Appetizers

    Published: Jan 21, 2019 Updated: Apr 1, 2022 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

    Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)

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    This Roasted Eggplant Dip is known as Baba Ganoush in the Middle East and as Melitzanosalata in Greece. Similar to hummus, this roasted eggplant dip is a perfect blend of smokey eggplant, freshly squeezed lemon juice, plenty of garlic, tahini, and olive oil.

    Baba Ghanoush dip with chips and veggies and pita chips on the side

    Baba Ganoush is quite popular not only in the Middle East but also throughout the world. As mentioned earlier, this roasted eggplant dip is also popular in Greece and can be found in most Greek restaurants where it's known as Melitzanosalata. There's also another version called Mutabal, which includes yogurt.

    You will notice that this dish is spelled in many different ways. This frequently happens when Arabic words are spelled out with English letters. Some of the spelling variations include "baba ghanoush," "babaganoush," and "baba ghanouj."

    "Baba" means "father" in Arabic. "Ganoush" on the other hand, means pampered. So I supposed if you want to pamper your father, make him some baba ganoush.

    Jump to:
    • 🧐Why This Recipe Works
    • 🍆How to make Roasted Eggplant Dip
    • 🍽 Serving Suggestions
    • 🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs
    • 👩🏼‍🍳Pro Tips
    • 🥣Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🧐Why This Recipe Works

    • Eggplant dip is a very healthy dip.
    • You can make this dip ahead of time and lasts in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    • You can enjoy this dip with a variety of vegetables, pita bread, or pita chips.

    🍆How to make Roasted Eggplant Dip

    Step 1: Slice large eggplant in half. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. salt. Place in a colander, flesh-side down and allow the eggplant to sweat for approximately 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off, they dry off with paper towels. 

    one eggplant sliced in half on a silver dish

    Preheat oven to 450 Degrees F. 

    Step 2: Brush ½ teaspoon of olive onto a foil-lined pan. Place eggplant flesh-side down on the pan. Add unpeeled garlic cloves. Pour 1 teaspoon olive oil over them.

    one eggplant sliced in half, flesh down on a baking tray

    Step 3: Place pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, remove the garlic, and flip the eggplant over to the other side and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until slightly charred. 

    roasted eggplant on a foil-lined tray

    Step 4: When cool enough to handle, scrape the eggplant flesh away from the skin using a large spoon. Drain in a colander for a few minutes.

    eggplant fresh in a strainer over a bowl

    Step 5: Meanwhile, add the remaining salt, sesame seed oil, peeled and crushed garlic, tahini paste, lemon juice, and cumin (if using) to a food processor. Add eggplant flesh and pulse a few times, to mix.

    mutabal in food processor

    Pro Tip: Do not over-mix, baba ghanoush should have a chunky consistency. 

    🍽 Serving Suggestions

    Plate the Baba Ghanoush and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, drizzle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Garnish with any of the following: chopped parsley, paprika/cayenne pepper, and toasted pine nuts. 

    baba ganoush with chips and sliced veggies

    🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs

    Is Baba Ganoush good for you? 

    When I think of the word "dip" I automatically think "unhealthy." Americans, myself included, are used to eating dips full of highly processed ingredients and fat.

    Having the above in mind, this Roasted Eggplant Dip recipe wins by a mile when it comes to nutrition. For one thing, this dip is relatively low in carbs, yet high in fiber.

    Roasted Eggplant Dip is made with healthy, all-natural ingredients like eggplant, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini. As a result, you can indulge guilt-free.

    What Are the Ingredients in Roasted Eggplant Dip?

    The main ingredient in any Roasted Eggplant Dip is roasted or charred eggplant. Some of the other ingredients found in baba ganoush include garlic, tahini paste, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

    Some recipes call for cumin, although as mentioned in other posts, I don't particularly like cumin, so I usually leave it out.

    Roasted Eggplant Dip is frequently garnished with parsley and olive oil. Other garnish ideas include roasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and paprika.

    How do you eliminate the bitter taste of eggplant?

    Salting the eggplant flesh allows it to sweat, and helps to extract the bitter juices. This should be done prior to cooking the eggplant.

    👩🏼‍🍳Pro Tips

    • Make sure to use quick pulses when mixing the dip in a food processor. You want the dip to maintain some chunkiness instead of being too creamy.
    • Serve this delicious dip with pita chips, or an assortment of cut-up vegetables.
    baba ganoush with pita chips and veggies

    🥣Related Recipes

    • hummus plate
      Authentic Lebanese Hummus Recipe
    • yogurt dip with veggies
      Yogurt Sauce For Chicken
    • bean dip
      Mexican Bean Dip Recipe
    • jajik cream cheese dip in a blue bowl with crackers
      Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese (Jajik)

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    Baba Ghanoush dip with chips and veggies and pita chips on the side

    Baba Ghanoush

    Baba Ghanoush/Roasted Eggplant Dip. Yes, dip can be healthy and delicious!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Appetizers
    Cuisine: Assyrian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
    Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 117kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb. large eggplant
    • 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
    • 1½ tablespoon olive oil (divided)
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 3 tablespoon tahini paste
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
    • 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika

    Instructions

    • Slice large eggplant in half. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. salt. Place in a colander, flesh-side down and allow eggplant to sweat out the bitter juices for approximately 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off, they dry off with paper towels. 
    • Preheat oven to 450 Degrees F. 
    • Smear ½ teaspoon of olive on a foil-lined pan. Place eggplant flesh-side down on the pan. Add unpeeled garlic cloves. Pour 1 teaspoon olive oil over them.
    • Place pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, remove the garlic, and flip the eggplant over to the other side and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until slightly charred. 
    • When cool enough to handle, scrape the eggplant flesh away from the skin using a large spoon. Drain in a colander for a few minutes.
    • Meanwhile, add the remaining salt, sesame seed oil, peeled and crushed garlic, tahini paste, lemon juice, and cumin (if using) to a food processor. 
    • Add eggplant flesh to the food processor, along with the other ingredients. Pulse a few times, to mix. Do not over-mix, baba ghanoush should have a chunky consistency. 
    • Plate the baba ghanoush and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, drizzle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Garnish with any of the following: chopped parsley, paprika/cayenne pepper, and toasted pine nuts. 

    Notes

    • Make sure to use quick pulses when mixing the dip in a food processor. You want the dip to maintain some chunkiness instead of being too creamy.
    • Serve this delicious dip with pita chips, or an assortment of cut-up vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6g | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 399mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g
    Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

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