By Emily McLaughlin
Up until a little while ago, I associated “baba ghanoush” with Wedding Crashers (see clip). When looking for something to do with my leftover eggplant from the other night, I encountered baba ghanoush once again, in a less hilarious and more delicious way. If you love eggplant and enjoy hummus, this is a great alternative to traditional recipes.
Quick, easy baba ghanoush (perfect snack for 1 or 2)
Ingredients
1/2 large eggplant (skin on or off, I prefer on)
1 large garlic clove
seasonings (garlic powder, onion power, red pepper flakes, black pepper)
2+ tbsp olive oil
1+ tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
Optional Ingredients (these make it more herby/hummus-like — I did not use them this time around)
1+ tbsp fresh cilantro or fresh basil
1 tbsp tahini
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a baking dish by lining it with tin foil and drizzling ~1 tbsp of olive oil on the bottom.
- Slice eggplant into 1/2 thick pieces then place in baking dish. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over eggplant. Slice garlic glove in half and place in dish. Sprinkle seasonings over eggplant before baking — a pinch of each should do. Bake for 10 minutes, flip eggplant, bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven when eggplant starts to roast/brown (an extra 5-10 minutes might be necessary).
- Place roasted eggplant and garlic in food processor. Add Greek yogurt, lemon juice and any other ingredients you are using. Taste the baba ghanoush and see if it requires anything extra. Add more Greek yogurt or a drizzle of olive oil to create a smoother texture.
Serve warm or cool on crackers or pita bread. Yum yum yum! Next time I make this, I might roast some red peppers along with the eggplant and garlic. Sounds delicious!
