Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip (Meatless Monday)

This Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip recipe is a similar to baba ghanoush, except it is chunky, instead of smooth. Most baba ghanoush doesn’t contain red pepper either, but it brings a lot to this dip in terms of colour and flavour. Perfect as a dip with veggies, crackers, pita chips, as a spread on a sandwich, or topping your favourite pasta for a main dish, you must try this recipe; it’s so versatile and it’s a great addition to your Meatless Monday lineup!

I participate in a cooking group on Facebook; recently someone asked if anyone has a recipe for baba ghanoush. Since I hadn’t published mine yet, I typed it up for the group. Then, as often happens, I started craving it.

Of course, I had to fiddle with the recipe for you, so this is a modified version of my baba ghanoush. The sad thing about a traditional baba ghanoush is it is not a very photogenic subject. Sure, it’s delicious, it just isn’t pretty.

So, the modifications I made to my recipe make it more visually appealing,  more versatile texturally, as well as really delicious! By leaving the eggplant in chunks and by adding chunks of roasted red pepper, this dip is full bodied and would be excellent topping some pasta for an entrée.

I have a trick for you, too! When I roasted the eggplant, I sliced it length-wise and cut slits in the meat of the eggplant. Into one slit on each half I inserted a whole clove of garlic, then drizzled on some olive oil. What this did was to roast the garlic along with the eggplant, as well as infuse the garlic flavour in the meat of the eggplant. After the eggplant was cooked, I scooped the meat out of the skin and roughly chopped it.

You could  roast a red pepper in the same pan as the eggplant, but I “cheated” and used some jarred roasted red pepper I had on hand. To that I added tahini (sesame paste, which can be found in most grocery stores either in the health food section, or with nut butters), lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, and a pinch of cayenne and cumin, salt and ground black pepper.

That’s all there is to it! It’s delicious! Do, try it!

P~

5.0 from 2 reviews

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip (Meatless Monday)

 

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Roasted eggplant and roasted red pepper, left in chunks, make a delightful modification to a traditional baba ghanoush. It's great as a dip, sandwich spread, or even a topping for a pasta entrée.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized eggplant, sliced in half length-wise
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced roasted red pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat leave parsley
• 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
• pinch ground cumin, to taste
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Place the eggplant halves cut side up in a baking pan.
3. Make diagonal slices into the meat of the eggplant being sure not to pierce the skin.
4. Into one of the slits, insert a garlic clove, one clove in each half of eggplant, making sure the garlic clove is no longer exposed.
5. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on each eggplant half.
6. Insert the pan into the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
7. While the eggplant is roasting, add the tahini, red pepper, lemon juice and parsley to a bowl.
8. Once the eggplant is cooked, remove it from the oven and place the halves of eggplant on a chopping block.
9. Using a spoon, scoop out the meat of the eggplant.
10. Remove the roasted garlic cloves to the side.
11. Coarse chop the eggplant meat and add it to the bowl with the tahini mixture.
12. Using a fork, mash the roasted garlic cloves and add them to the bowl with the tahini mixture.
13. Stir to combine.
14. Add cayenne, cumin, kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste.

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