Say hello to your next favorite dip! This versatile Baba Ganoush Recipe tastes fabulous with veggies, crackers or spread onto a sandwich!
When it comes to a dipping companion for your favorite crudité and crackers, this is it. Right here, baby! Creamy, savory, a bit smokey… what else could you ask for? It’s a tasty alternative to hummus, and you feel good about eating it because the main ingredient is roasted eggplant (so that means this is healthy, too! SCORE!).
WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR THIS BABA GANOUSH RECIPE?
- Eggplant: This recipe calls for two, medium-sized eggplants. When selecting eggplants, make sure they are shiny and have no signs of mushy spots. No one likes mushy eggplant.
- Tahini: This is basically ground up sesame seeds.
- Garlic: I am a HUGE fan of garlic, so I use three cloves in this recipe. If you’re not an advocate, like myself, go ahead and use one clove. You could also substitute with roasted garlic for a milder, sweeter taste.
- Lemon Juice: I typically use between a half and whole lemon, depending on my taste preferences. Lemon helps bring everything to life.
- Ground Cumin: This adds a touch of warm, earthy flavor that pairs nicely with the sweet and bitter notes of this recipe.
- Salt: This helps offset the bitterness of the eggplant and enhance it’s natural flavors. 1/4th teaspoon should do the trick to season things up just right. You could always add a dash more, if preferred.
- Olive Oil: This adds a deep richness that makes the final dish smooth and creamy.
- Herbs: Feel free to use chopped parsley, mint or cilantro. Whatever your taste buds enjoy most.
- Smoked Paprika: This is an optional garnish, but highly recommended! Adds a smokey layer that pairs perfectly with the roasted eggplant.
HOW TO STORE BABA GANOUSH?
Some people rave that Baba Ganoush tastes better the next day… after the flavors have had some time to get to know each other. 😉 I personally enjoy it the day of, but I’m not one to shew away leftovers! Baba Ganoush can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to four days.
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- 2 Medium Eggplants
- ¼ cup Tahini
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- Juice of ½ Lemon
- ¼ tsp. Ground Cumin
- Salt, to taste (about ¾ - 1 tsp.)
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil
- 1 - 2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, Mint or Cilantro
- Smoked Paprika, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Olive Oil, to taste
- Bell Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Pita Chips
- Preheat oven to 450F and line two baking sheets with foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on each sheet to prevent the eggplants from sticking.
- Cut eggplants into ½ inch rounds and place them flat on the baking sheets. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, which will help them brown.
- Place one baking sheet into the oven. Bake for 8 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8 minutes on the other side. Once the skin is wrinkled and the eggplants have browned, remove them from the baking sheet and place them in foil to steam for 5 minutes. Repeat process with the second baking sheet.
- After the eggplants have steamed in the foil, remove them carefully and pull off the skin. The skin should remove pretty easily with a spoon. Place the inner flesh into a large mixing bowl.
- Gently fold in the tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt and olive oil with the eggplant. Using a fork, mash the eggplant to desired consistency.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs, smoked paprika, sesame seeds and a drizzle of olive oil before serving with veggies and/or crackers.
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- Smaller eggplants tend to have less seeds than the larger ones. You can substitute with three smaller eggplants instead of the two medium sized if you’d like to avoid the seeds.
- For a smooth baba ganoush (similar to hummus), place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until velvety. The taste will be the same, just the texture changes. I prefer mine chunky, so that’s why I opt for the fork mashing method.
- Feel free to tweak the seasonings to your liking. Want more tahini? Go for it. Prefer more cumin? Sprinkle it on! Per the usual, I encourage you to adjust where you feel necessary!
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