Mediterranean Eggplant Salad

This unique roasted Mediterranean eggplant salad is full of caramelized veggie flavor, tossed with tangy fresh lemon and herbs. It’s full of healthy ingredients and can be eaten warm or chilled.

If you're looking for a unique and tasty 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 or other steps.

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!

Why you'll love it

The flavor alone is enough to make you want to add Mediterranean eggplant salad to your regular meal routine but on top of that, here are some things we love about it that you will too:

• The recipe is so incredibly healthy but full of rich flavor from all of those roasted, caramelized vegetables
• You can eat it warm or cold
• The dish can be made ahead of time and keeps well in the refrigerator
• You can eat it as a dip, spread, side dish, salad or as part of your main meal served on pasta, rice or another starch
• You can make it dairy free or vegan just by leaving out the feta (just check and make sure it's still salty enough for you without it)
• It's a great addition to any BBQ or potluck since it is easy to transport and the flavors pair easily with a variety of other dishes
• Eggplant is a low calorie source of vitamins, antioxidants, potassium, and dietary fiber

Ingredients

The ingredients speak for themselves in this dish. They're all relatively simple, easy to find foods but the way you prepare them and how they come together is what creates the complexity in flavor.

• eggplant
• red pepper
• onion
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• minced garlic
• oregano
• lemon juice
• fresh basil - don't skimp on the fresh herbs since they really make the dish!
• fresh parsley
• toasted pine nuts - either toast them yourself or buy them pre-toasted (way over priced on Amazon but affordable if you can buy at Trader Joe's in person)
• feta

How to make Mediterranean eggplant salad

This recipe is simple to make but roasting the veggies takes some time. Here's the general process:

1. Toss the veggies in oil and roast ' em on up! Stir half way through to make sure they get evenly toasty.
   
   
2. 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.

• 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 except 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 dish is versatile both in how it served (warm or cold, as a dip, spread, side or part of a main), but also in what it pairs with. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:

• As a side dish paired with grilled Greek chicken.
• The filling to a sandwich or pita with hummus and garlic sauce (Cosette's garlic sauce toum recipe can't be beat but Trader Joe's sells it too if you don't feel up to making your own).
• Accompanying a meaty main like lamb, kafta kabobs, chicken or any other meat with a mediterranean flavor profile. Add garlic sauce and serve this baked feta 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 and/or a touch of balsamic glaze.

Other side dishes you'll love

If this recipe tantalized your tastebuds, I've got a few more you'll want to try out! Here are some other sides for you:

• Grilled zucchini gets topped with fresh basil, balsamic glaze and salty feta in this fun summer recipe.
• This tasty Greek quinoa salad has a similar lemon forward fresh flavor.
• This chickpea tomato salad is tossed with fresh basil and is bursting with flavor - a healthy side dish or complete meal in itself!
• This zucchini tomato caramelized onion dish can be served as a dip or side. Similar to this recipe, the flavor comes from caramelization and sounds simple but tastes divine.
• Greek pasta salad is an all time favorite - a BBQ crowd pleaser.
• Baked feta topped with roasted vegetables is a fun appetizer for a Mediterranean themed meal.