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    Baba Ghanoush

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    Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dish made of cooked, mashed eggplant, tahini (sesame seed paste), and seasonings. Traditional recipes call for olive oil and salt, but I do not use these ingredients, so they are left out. I serve this as a dip with fresh vegetables or as a topping for potatoes instead of sour cream or butter.

    Baba Ghanoush
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    Baba Ghanoush


    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 60 mins
    • Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
    • Yield: Makes 1.25 cups 1x
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    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 one-pound purple eggplant
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
    • 2 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame seed paste)
    • 1 small clove garlic
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. After washing and drying the eggplant, poke it a few times with a knife tip and place it on a baking sheet or dish (with or without parchment paper). Roast for 55 to 60 minutes, until it is softened and wrinkly (see photo below). When done baking, set aside for at least 15 minutes (or enough time so you can handle it).
    2. Cut the cooled eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape all of the insides into a bowl (including the seeds). Discard the skin and stem.
    3. Now you will mix the cooked flesh of the eggplant with the remaining ingredients. You can use a fork or a food processor. If using a fork, finely chop the parsley and garlic first, and use firm pressure to mix everything together, so as to break down any stringiness of the eggplant. If using a food processor, blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl for serving or storing.

    Notes

    Herbs/spices: Add any herbs and spices that you like, such as paprika, a small dash of cayenne pepper, and/or black pepper.

    Garlic: I use a small clove of fresh garlic in this recipe because it's easier than roasting it. But even with a small clove, it can be very strong, so beware. To achieve a milder flavor, roast the garlic first (search online for "how to roast garlic," and disregard any call for oil).

    Tahini: Tahini is ground sesame paste. It looks like creamy peanut butter but lighter in color and can be found near the peanut butter in the grocery store. I prefer the raw, organic tahini for the best flavor, but it can be more expensive than roasted.

    Roasting: Roasting the eggplant over an open flame is traditional, and will produce a smokier, richer flavor. But I have used the oven method since most people will have an oven.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: Half of recipe (about ½ cup)
    • Calories: 152
    • Sugar: 8.5g
    • Sodium: 24.6mg
    • Fat: 8.6g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.2g
    • Carbohydrates: 17.9g
    • Fiber: 8.4g
    • Protein: 5.1g
    • Cholesterol: 0

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @straightupfood and hashtag it #straightupfood - we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

    Raw eggplant

    Above: The eggplant before roasting.

    Cooked eggplant

    Above: The eggplant after roasting for one hour.

    FYI: Do you know the difference between roasting and baking? If the food has a solid structure in the oven (like an eggplant or bell pepper), it is called roasting. If you're cooking food that doesn't have a solid structure, but will after it's cooked (like cookies or casseroles), it is called baking.

    Potatoes with-Baba Ghanoush

    Above: Baba ghanoush served with cooked potatoes and lightly cooked vegetables.

    Previous Post: « Summer Slaw
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eran

      September 25, 2018 at 12:07 am

      The traditional recipe doesn't use olive oil. It calls for the optional additional oil when served (on top, like with Hummus). By traditional I mean in the countries where this dish was first made. In any way, yours is outstanding.
      do you use whole sesame tahini?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        September 25, 2018 at 9:04 pm

        Hi Eran, I just use the pre-ground tahini, which is smooth (from the jar). Thanks for your comment! 😉

        Reply
    2. Baiba

      October 06, 2018 at 7:40 am

      Hi Cathy, this is delicious! I am only on my 2nd month of SOS free diet so this is a very first sauce I tried. Mine came out rather ugly - very brown - wonder why and how yours is so pretty?

      Reply
      • Damo

        October 30, 2018 at 9:46 am

        Who cares how it looks. Does it taste good?

        I use this site all the time for the best SOS free recipes, and this is one delicious baba ghanoush!

        Reply
    3. slavetomycats

      December 09, 2018 at 6:31 am

      Would this work if you used white beans instead of the tahini?

      Reply
      • Cathy

        December 09, 2018 at 9:02 am

        I think it would. It would be less rich, but still nice and creamy. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Doina Campean

      February 26, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      The Romanian version calls for a more neutral-tasting oil than olive oil, which can be overpowering. Also, after baking we leave it on an inclined plane, so the bitter juices can drain. Traditionally, it also has a small onion chopped very finely incorporated in the paste. Sometimes mayo is added for smoothness and additional flavour, but I think a teaspoon of salt-free mustard will do just fine! I love this eggplant dip, so thank you for providing a version that I can digest without aches and pains 🙂

      Reply
      • Cathy

        February 26, 2019 at 5:11 pm

        Interesting! Thanks so much, Doina! 😉

        Reply
    5. LindaO

      October 25, 2020 at 8:31 am

      Delicious! I've been putting it on baked potatoes. It's perfect.

      Reply

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