Baba Ganoush Recipe
This baba ganoush recipe is a simple, healthy way to bring extra veggies and international flair to an appetizer platter or antipasto tray.
Ingredients for Bana Ganoush
The main ingredient of baba ganoush is roasted eggplant. This deep purple nightshade plant, also called aubergine, is technically a fruit. However, its mild, unsweet flavor makes it a vegetable for cooking purposes. Eggplant packs a lot of nutrition in very few calories.
Eggplant is one of the most versatile vegetables ever! It holds onto flavor like nothing else. Eggplant slices are like little sponges, soaking up every flavor you add to the dish. You can change an eggplant dish entirely by changing a few of the spices.
Some eggplant dips include tahini, a main ingredient of hummus, but this baba ganoush recipe focuses on the taste and texture of the eggplant. However, if you swap out sesame seeds for the pine nuts, you basically will be preparing your own tahini within the recipe!
The dip has fiber, vitamins, and healthy fats as well as protein from the nuts. It is also low in calories and gluten-free — not to mention, truly delicious.
My baba ganoush recipe includes:
- peeled and roasted eggplant cubes
- fresh, seeded red bell peppers, roasted
- pine nuts
- one whole onion
- garlic cloves (lots of them!), roasted
- good olive oil
- lemon juice
- cumin
How do you make eggplant taste less bitter?
Some people find eggplant too bitter. However, you can remove the bitterness before make this baba ganoush recipe. The secret is salt!
Peel and cube the eggplant an hour or more ahead of when you plan to make this baba ganoush recipe. Sprinkle salt over the flesh and allow to sit for an hour or more.
Rinse off the salt before cooking. Since a small amount of salt may remain, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the baba ganoush recipe.
How to Make Baba Ganoush
Prep the veggies and seasonings. Peel the eggplant, discard the skin, and cut the flesh into cubes. Chop the peppers, peel and slice the onion, and cut the stem off of the garlic bulb. You will roast the garlic before peeling it.
Peel and cube the eggplant.
Roast the vegetables and garlic. Squeeze garlic to extract the cloves.
Blend ingredients in food processor.
Toss eggplant, bell pepper, onion, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized or large bowl. Then spread ingredients onto a baking sheet. Wrap garlic cloves in foil and place on sheet with the vegetables. Roast for about 45 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Alternatively, you could grill the veggies over an open flame for extra smoky flavor.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts over medium heat for about 2 minutes, making sure not to burn them. Add them to a food processor fitted with the S blade. Add lemon juice and cumin. Drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pureé until smooth.
Remove eggplant and other vegetables from the oven and place into the food processor. Blend the mixture until smooth. Garnish with pine nuts, parsley, or smoked paprika if desired. Serve baba ganoush as a dip with pita bread, pita chips, toasted bread, and/or cucumber slices.
A Dip into Food History: Origins of Baba Ganoush
Baba ganoush, pronounced bah-bah gah-NOOSH, has its roots in the culinary traditions of the Levant region, which encompasses a group of Mediterranean and Mideastern countries from Greece to Egypt. The history of this healthy dip most likely goes back centuries, getting passed down through the generations and adapted to different palates along the way.
In Arabic, “baba” means father or respected elder, and “ganoush” likely comes from “gannūj,” an Arabic term for the eggplant. The dish has become a staple in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean mezze platter, a selection of small, tasty dishes shared at social gatherings.
Stacy Lyn’s Baba Ganoush Recipe
For more delicious eggplant recipes, check out my Eggplant Veggie Lasagna, Grilled Eggplant Parmesan, and Eggplant Venison Mozzarella Wraps. To grow your own eggplants from seed, start here.
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and roughly cut
- 1 onion peeled and cut into slices
- 5 cloves of garlic smashed
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1/4 cup lemon juice the juice of 2 medium lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prep the veggies and seasonings. Peel the eggplant, discard the skin, and cut the flesh into cubes. Chop the peppers, peel and slice the onion, and cut the stem off of the garlic bulb.
- Toss eggplant, bell pepper, onion, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized or large bowl. Then spread ingredients onto a baking sheet. Wrap garlic cloves in foil and place on sheet with the vegetables. Roast for about 45 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Alternatively, you could grill the veggies over an open flame for extra smoky flavor.
- While the vegetables are roasting, toast pine nuts over medium heat for about 2 minutes, making sure not to burn them. Add them to a food processor fitted with the S blade. Add lemon juice and cumin. Drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pureé until smooth.
- Remove eggplant and other vegetables from the oven and place into the food processor. Unwrap the garlic from foil, squeeze out cooked cloves from the peel, and add to food processor. Blend the mixture until smooth. Garnish with pine nutes, parsley, or smoked paprika if desired. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, toasted bread, and/or cucumber and carrot slices.
An amazing way to bring the taste of the Mediterranean to a meal with fresh garden vegetables. We love this recipe! Amazing depth of flavors.
Amazing depth of flavors!
That makes my day!!! Yay! I do love this recipe!! Glad you enjoyed it!