We all love hummus but have you tried its smokier, tangier friend baba ganoush? Baba ganoush is a luscious roasted eggplant dip from middle eastern cuisines that is a favorite in our household.
Recently, we tried a restaurant called Aba in Chicago’s West Loop that celebrates a fusion of middle eastern and mediterranean cuisines. We tried their eggplant dip and fell in love. I mean, I could bathe in it.
This recipe is our best approximation of that experience with an apartment-friendly twist. You don’t have to fire up a grill to get the char you want. Instead, you roast your eggplants cut-side-down in the oven to get some slight burning that gives you an amazing smoky flavor. Another favorite twist is the addition of greek yogurt which gives the dip a creaminess and lightness.
We know this is not a traditional baba ganoush recipe (here’s a great one we love from Rose Water and Orange Blossoms). Rather, this is our take on a favorite restaurant experience. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we do.
Making this is actually very easy. Most of the time in this recipe is spent waiting for the eggplant to roast, making this a great thing to get started before cooking the rest of your meal.
All that stands between you and this yummy dip is a couple quick steps:
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Slice two large eggplants in half lengthwise and slather with olive oil. Place the cut sides down and roast for about 45-60 minutes or until the cut sides are blackened and you can poke a fork into the eggplant with minimal effort. You want this very well roasted. Remove from the oven and scoop out the flesh of the eggplant once it’s cool enough to handle. Discard the skins.
To a food processor, add tahini, lemon juice and olive oil and blend until totally emulsified. Then, add the eggplant, greek yogurt, salt, smoked paprika and ground cumin and pulse a few times until it is mostly combined. To your preference, you can leave some chunks. I like mine a bit smoother.
Scoop it into a serving dish and garnish with olive oil and some more paprika. Serve with pita, pita chips, chopped veggies, or with some za’atar roasted veggies and feta. We have also used this in sandwiches and wraps. We won’t even judge you if you just take a spoon to it.
Creamy Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 4 tsp olive oil for roasting
- ½ cup tahini first stirred in jar to fix natural separation
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil to blend into dip
- 1 cup full fat greek yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- optional chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment or foil. If foil, lightly grease. Cut and remove the green tops from the eggplant and then slice them lengthwise. With the eggplant halves face up, drizzle one tsp of olive oil on each eggplant half (for a total of 4 tsp). Using your finger tips, gently spread the oil around the eggplant until evenly distributed and absorbed.
- Place eggplants face down onto the prepared baking sheet, and roast for 60 minutes, rotating the tray at the halfway point. Don’t shy away from letting the eggplant get very soft and slightly charred – this only adds to the carmelized roasty flavors. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a spoon, scrape out the inside of the eggplant and place into a bowl, leaving and discarding the skins.
- In a food processor, add tahini and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon, or about 3 tbs. Process 10 seconds or until emulsified. Add the eggplant, greek yogurt, salt, ground cumin and smoked paprika. *note: if your food processor is on the smaller side, you may need to do this in two batches.
- Taste the eggplant dip and incrementally adjust salt and lemon juice. Scoop into a serving dish. When ready to serve, run a spoon through the eggplant to create a divot and drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of paprika, or optional chopped parsley.
