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.
- 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
- 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).
- Cut the cooled eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape all of the insides into a bowl (including the seeds). Discard the skin and stem.
- 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.
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.
Above: The eggplant before roasting.
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.
Above: Baba ghanoush served with cooked potatoes and lightly cooked vegetables.
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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?
Hi Eran, I just use the pre-ground tahini, which is smooth (from the jar). Thanks for your comment! 😉
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?
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!
Would this work if you used white beans instead of the tahini?
I think it would. It would be less rich, but still nice and creamy. 🙂
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 🙂
Interesting! Thanks so much, Doina! 😉
Delicious! I’ve been putting it on baked potatoes. It’s perfect.