Easy Baba Ghanoush
Easy Baba Ghanoush is a wonderful middle eastern eggplant dip that’s rich flavor and creamy texture will delight your taste buds.
Trust me on this one. You do not have to slave in the kitchen, or order take-out, to be able to enjoy this creamy dreamy eggplant dip at home.
After oven roasting the eggplant, this recipe requires less than 10 minutes of hands on time.
Hand me a pita…I’m going in!
The Process
- Choose a couple nice sized eggplant (about 3 pounds total)
- Slice them in half and brush the cut side with olive oil
- Place cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees F. for about 45 minutes or until the eggplant are very soft to the touch and the skins start to wrinkle
- Once roasted, allow to cool
- Then gently scrape the flesh out of the eggplant skins (discarding the thin charred layer) into a mesh strainer for a few minutes to allow any excess liquid to drain off
- Squeeze in 3-4 roasted garlic cloves.
Since I had a hot oven and a recipe that calls for garlic, I oven roasted a head of garlic as well.
- Add Tahini (sesame seed paste), extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and chopped fresh parsley
- Season with cumin and salt and whisk with a fork until well combined
- Adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped parsley and smoked paprika
How to Serve
On a side note, there are some food pictures that benefit greatly from having a hand model. It’s akin to the food videos that end with the cook taking a bite and telling us how delicious it tastes.
Baba Ghanoush is beautiful on the inside but she’s not the easiest to make look sexy in a picture.
There were no objections from this volunteer (my husband) when I made my request. And capturing his expression says this dip is creamy dreamy delicious!
The key to making this recipe “Easy” is using the oven roasting method vs. fire roasting on a grill or under the broiler.
Been there done that and in my opinion these results are equally delicious, perhaps less smoky but the smoked paprika brings that to the dip.
We incorporated our Easy Baba Ghanoush into a Levantine Mezze Platter that we shared with some close friends.
Our board included many of our favorite middle eastern dishes whose flavor profiles all play so nicely together.
We had Tabbouleh, Hummus, Falafel, Marinated Olives with Feta, Kofta Kebabs, Jerusalem Salad….
It was a heaven on a platter.
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All my best,
xo Libby
Easy Baba Ghanoush
Ingredients
- 3 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium-large) roasted
- 1 head garlic roasted
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for brushing and drizzle
- 1 lemon juiced (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- chopped fresh parsley to garnish
- smoked paprika to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut eggplant in half, brush cut sides with a little olive oil, place cut side down on prepared pan. Trim 1/4" off top of garlic, place on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Seal the foil and place on pan with eggplant. Roast in oven for 45 minutes or until eggplant is soft to the touch and the skins have wrinkled. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, gently scrape the flesh out of the eggplant skins (discarding the thin charred layer) into a mesh strainer for a few minutes to allow any excess liquid to drain off. Squeeze in 3-4 roasted garlic cloves. Transfer to a bowl and using a fork, whip the mixture breaking up the eggplant. Add in remaining ingredients and whisk with a fork until smooth. To serve, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of smoked paprika.
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