This Za’atar Baked Eggplant dish has typical Middle Eastern flavours. It’s earthy, tangy and a healthy week-day meal. Once the prep is done, the oven does the rest! The best part is that this is an eggplant recipe without having to fry or sweat the eggplant. Simply cut, cross-hatch, sprinkle and bake!
Best to serve with rice or grains (I made couscous), a salad and of course my delicious creamy tahini maple dressing! If you’d rather, plain yoghurt, my garlic yoghurt dip or even Tzatiki goes well too.
Add a touch of chili pepper too to give it an extra kick too!
Step-by-Step:
Za'atar Baked Eggplant with Tahini Maple Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- olive oil
- Za'atar seasoning
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup couscous (150 g)
For the Salad:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tomato
- ยฝ cup cooked or canned chickpeas (100 g)
- ยผ cup parsley (plus more for garnish)
- 2 spring onions
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon
For the Tahini Maple Dressing:
- โ cup Tahini
- ยผ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp maple syrup
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp ice-cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200C). Cut the eggplants length ways in half. Cross-hatch the eggplants but be careful not to cut through the skin.
- Brush olive oil and Za'atar in the gaps and sprinkle on top of the eggplants. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
- In the meantime, cook the couscous as per instructions.
- Next, make the salad by chopping all the ingredients and combining in a bowl.
- Make the dressing by combining all but the water in a small bowl. Mix well. Slowly add the ice-cold water making sure to constantly whisk. Taste as you go and add more of an ingredient as you need.
- Plate and serve with additional Za'atar sprinkled on the eggplant and extra parsley to garnish!
Notes
Recipe Notes:
You can sub out the couscous and do quinoa, rice or veggies instead.ย
Recommended for this Recipe:
Za’atar Seasoningย – a fragrant and extremely versatile seasoning blend. Made from a combination of oregano, thyme, sumac, roasted sesame seeds and salt.
* If you live in Paphos or Limassol, Cyprus and don’t want to pay the delivery, we can arrange to meet and drop your order to you somewhere!
Other recipes to try:
Mediterranean Eggplant Rollatini
Strawberry Goat’s Cheese Salad
Za’atar Baked Carrots & Tahini Parsley Sauce
Cucumber Tahini & Coriander Gazpacho
Did you make this recipe? Tag @pinkpeppercorncyprus on Instagram and hashtag it #pinkpeppercorncatering
