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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes » Mediterranean Eggplant Salad

Mediterranean Eggplant Salad

August 2, 2021 by Christy 2 Comments

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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.

Table of Contents

  • Why you’ll love it
  • Ingredients
  • How to make Mediterranean eggplant salad
  • Tips
  • What to serve it with
  • Other side dishes you’ll love
  • Mediterranean Eggplant
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric
    • Instructions
    • Notes
    • Nutrition
      • did you make this recipe?
overhead picture of Mediterranean eggplant salad in a white bowl

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!

close up picture of Mediterranean eggplant salad tossed with feta and herbs

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
Bowl of roasted eggplant salad sprinkled with feta and herbs

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
ingredients for Mediterranean eggplant salad laid out on a gray background

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.
Overhead picture of Mediterranean eggplant salad tossed with feta, herbs, pine nuts and lemon
Recipe
overhead picture of Mediterranean eggplant salad in a white bowl
Recipe
5 from 1 vote
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Mediterranean Eggplant

Created by: Christy Gurin
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
6
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.

Ingredients
 

  • 2 eggplants cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 2 large red peppers or 3 small
  • 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. Dish can be served warm or chilled and served up to 24 hours later. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Can be served hot or cold as a dip, spread, 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.
  • 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

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 540mg | Potassium: 597mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2054IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 2mg

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posted in: Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables

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Reader Interactions

    Comments & Reviews

  1. Carol Fargus says

    October 14, 2022

    5 stars
    This is such a beautiful and delicious side dish! I served it with white fish and everyone raved over it. Next time I’m going to try skewering and grilling the veggies for fun.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      October 18, 2022

      Its truly so delicious! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it too!

      Reply

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