This Mediterranean-inspired roasted eggplant salad is full of delicious caramelized veggie flavor! The quick roasted eggplant, red peppers, and onion are tossed with feta cheese, lemon, and herbs. This nourishing salad recipe can be enjoyed either warm or chilled — perfect as a side dish.
If you’re looking for a unique and tasty easy side dish where simple flavors come together to create something near magical, this is it friends. This Mediterranean eggplant salad is one of my absolute favorite sides to throw together and gets rave reviews at BBQs and dinner parties.
It is easier to prepare than you might think too. The vegetables can all roast together and you add the last ingredients directly to the serving bowl. No separate dressing needed!
Also, salting the eggplant isn’t necessary since the extra water will bake out in the roasting process. Bottom line – cooking with eggplant can be finicky and this may be the easiest way you’ve ever made eggplant before!
The flavor alone is enough to make you want to add this aubergine Mediterranean recipe to your regular meal routine. On top of flavor, it’s versatile! Toss with pasta, olive oil a squeeze more lemon and herbs to make it a full meal.
It’s a great addition to any BBQ or potluck since you can make it in advance, it’s easy to transport and the flavors pair easily with a variety of other dishes. If you’re looking for veggie side dish pairings for this roasted eggplant salad, try serving with my avocado caprese salad with balsamic glaze. It’s so fresh and tasty and the flavors go together seamlessly.
Ingredients
The ingredients speak for themselves in this roasted eggplant dish. See the image below for ingredients needed and the recipe card for a full list.
How to make Mediterranean eggplant salad
This recipe is simple to make but roasting the veggies takes some time. Here’s the general process:
- Toss the veggies in oil and roast ‘ em on up! Stir half way through to make sure they get evenly toasty.
- Remove from oven and toss with fresh herbs, lemon juice, pine nuts and feta. I recommend folding the feta in at the very end after tossing and placing in a serving dish so that it will hold it’s shape and not melt into the hot veggies.
Tips
This recipe is pretty simple to make but here are a few tips, pointers, and ideas to make sure it turns out perfectly for you.
Recipe Tips
- You can grill the eggplant, onion and pepper instead of roasting it. Be sure to oil the grill first so they don’t stick and you may need to either skewer them so the veggies don’t slip through the cracks or use a grill wok if you have one to make it quick and easy.
- If preparing for later, prepare everything but wait to fold in the feta until just before serving.
- To make dairy free or vegan just leave out the feta cheese. Taste and sprinkle with additional salt if needed to make up for leaving the salty feta out.
- Use fresh herbs and don’t skimp on them! Since a lot of the flavor comes from those herbs they have to be fresh and bountiful.
- Use fresh lemon and garlic. I don’t recommend the bottled stuff here.
- Keep an eye on the vegetables and pull the onion out early if it starts to burn. It shouldn’t if cut into 1/2″ thick wedges but any smaller than that and the onion may cook before the other veggies.
What to serve it with
This roasted Mediterranean eggplant recipe is versatile both in how it is served (warm or cold, as a dip, side or part of a main), but also in what it pairs with. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- The filling to a sandwich or pita with homemade hummus and garlic sauce.
- Accompanying a meaty main like lamb, kafta kabobs, Greek lemon marinated chicken or any other meat with a mediterranean flavor profile.
- Serve with this roasted feta and tomatoes as an appetizer to really elevate the meal!
- Make it a vegetarian meal (or vegan without the feta) and serve over rice or pasta with a drizzle more olive oil, seasoned chickpeas and a touch of balsamic glaze.
Mediterranean-Style Roasted Eggplant Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants cut into 1/2" cubes
- 2 large red peppers or 3 small, cut into 1” squares (2.5cm)
- 1 red onion cut in half and then sliced into 1/4" wedges
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 4 oz crumbled feta 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C).
- Toss eggplant, red pepper, and red onion in olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and oregano.
- Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring half way through, until vegetables are fully roasted but not charred.
- Remove from oven and toss with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and pine nuts. Place in a serving dish and gently fold in feta before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Can be served hot, cold or room temperature as a side dish, or even as part of a main dish served over pasta or rice.
- If preparing ahead of time, prepare everything but wait to fold in the feta until just before serving. You can prepare it up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerate before serving either cold or at room temperature if you let it rest on the counter for an hour ahead of time.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. - To make dairy free or vegan just leave out the feta cheese. Taste and sprinkle with additional salt if needed to make up for leaving the salty feta out.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Very nice! I roasted the vegs in the air fryer which was super easy.
That’s an awesome idea! I have eggplant in the fridge right now and am going to try this recipe in the air fryer this time as well!