This recipe is for tender baked eggplants served with a spicy tomato and fresh yogurt herb sauce. It is easy to make, mostly including easy staple ingredients and very wallet friendly. Serve these baked eggplants as a main course or side dish. They are both vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb.
Eggplants is my first go to if I want to make a vegetarian or vegan dish that still feels a little “meaty”, filling and warming. Eggplants are true chameleons that can be used in so many different ways and paired with all types of tastes and seasonings. You can make them soft and tender, more crispy or smooth and creamy mixed into a dip or sauce. This dish is a mix of spicy, rich flavors coming from the tomato sauce. Fresh, light and zesty notes from the yogurt herb sauce. Topped with creamy and tangy feta cheese, peppery arugula and crunchy scallion. All of it served with wonderful tender oven baked eggplants. This dish is great to make both as a main course, to serve as a side dish or for meal prep purpose. These eggplants are easy to make, perfect to prepare in double batch and wallet friendly at the same time. This dish is vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb and can easily be made vegan as well.
A few tips:
- Use equally sized eggplants to assure they have the same baking time.
- I really recommend you to salt the eggplants for 30 minutes before baking them in the oven. This prevents them from turning out soggy and makes them more tender.
- If salting the eggplants before baking them make sure to remove as much excess water as possible and dry path them well before placing them in the oven.
- The baking time will vary depending on how larger/thick your eggplants are. They are done when they start to look golden brown and have collapsed slightly.
- I love adding the tomato on top of the eggplants, then baking them for5-10 minutes more in the oven. This adds a slightly roasted taste to the tomato sauce but also intensifies the flavors. This step can however be skipped.
- Use good quality canned cherry tomatoes, they really do taste more and sweeter than crushed tomatoes.
- The amount of chili flakes can be adjusted according to taste.
- I used mint and cilantro for the yogurt herb sauce. You can mix or use any herbs that you like or have at home.
Ingredients for these Baked Eggplant with Tomato & Yogurt Herb Sauce:
- Eggplants
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Canned cherry tomatoes
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Chili flakes
- Paprika powder
- Tomato paste
- Lemon
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Greek style yogurt
- Fresh mint
- Fresh cilantro
- Feta cheese
- Spring onion
- Arugula
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Baked Eggplant with Tomato & Yogurt Herb Sauce (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
For the eggplants
- 2 Eggplants cut in half lengthwise
- Salt
- 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
For the tomato sauce
- 400 g Canned cherry tomatoes
- 1 Yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1/6 tsp Crushed chili flakes
- 1 tsp Paprika powder
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, to fry
For the yogurt herb sauce
- 2 dl Greek style yogurt
- 1/2 dl Fresh mint roughly chopped
- 1/2 dl Fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/2 Lemon zested
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
For the topping
- 1/2-2/3 package Feta cheese crumbled
- 1 Spring onion (both white and green part) thinly sliced
- Arugula
Instructions
- Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, carefully score the eggplants in a criss-cross pattern. Be careful not to cut them the whole way through.
- Place the eggplant halves on a parchment or aluminium foil covered baking sheet with the cut side facing up. Season with salt to draw out excess water. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat with some olive oil.
- Add the chopped yellow onion to the hot pan and fry for 3-4 minutes, until the onion start to get soft and transparant.
- Add the garlic, stir together and fry for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add crushed chili flakes and paprika powder and stir together. Fry for 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste, stir together and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Next add the canned cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir together and let the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes, but preferably longer. Stir regularly.
- Taste to check the seasoning, add sea salt and black pepper as needed.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Gently squeeze each eggplant to press out more water after 30 minutes. Pat dry the face of each eggplant with a paper towel. Brush the eggplants with olive oil and place with the face side down on the lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the eggplant turns golden brown and has collapsed slightly.
- Meanwhile make the yogurt herb dressing by combining the ingredients in a bowl.
- When the eggplants are done turn them around, with the face side up. Add tomato sauce on each half and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes more.
- Spread yogurt herb sauce at the bottom of plate/plates. Add the baked eggplants with tomato sauce on top.
- Top with arugula, crumbled feta cheese and spring onion.