Roasted Tahini Pomegranate Eggplants

If you like baba ganoush, you’ll love these roasted eggplants with tahini, sumac, and pomegranate with a similar flavor inspired by a Moroccan immigrant cooking demonstration I attended while on a culinary tour of Israel!

This post is inspired by a trip hosted by Visit Israel and the Israel Ministry of Tourism. All opinions (and my love for Israel) are my own.

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Tahini and Pomegranate Roasted Eggplants

This dish is my very loose interpretation of an eggplant Shosana, the “Queen of Jam” and owner of “the Oldest House of Ein Karem”, served us during our afternoon at her home in the gorgeous hillside town just outside Jerusalem – known as the home of Mary’s well, and the birthplace of Saint John the Baptist.

Shoshana is a fabulous cook, well known poet, and legendary jam maker – but is also an outspoken advocate ofIsrael’s turn towards “slow tourism” – locals inviting tourists in their homes, gardens, and small businesses; where tourists are greeted with not just great food and goods – but amazing stories and a better connection to Israel as well.

Read more about our trip, touring through some of Israel’s home-based, small-business focused foodie scene.

How To Make Roasted Tahini Eggplants with Pomegranates

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

• Eggplants – eggplant is hearty, savory, and rich when roasted.
• Tahini – tahini is a paste of ground sesame seeds with a somewhat bitter flavor. Since this recipe uses so few ingredients, opt for a high quality tahina (tahini) instead of the ones you find in grocery stores in America. You’ll be blown away by the difference in flavor!
• Sumac – sumac is a citrussy herb common in Middle Eastern cooking. It has a bright, tangy taste that is perfect to break up the bitter flavor of tahini.
• Garlic – garlic has a pungeant, earthy flavor and ups the addictive quality of dishes. If you don’t like the spicy heat of raw garlic, you can use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
• Pomegranates – pomegranates are sweet, tangy, and delicious with a bright appearance and juicy flavor, perfect to cut through the rich eggplant and tahini.
• Olive oil – olive oil is a rich and savory oil that has a bright flavor and briny taste, counteracting the bitter tahini.

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

• Prep. Cut eggplants in half, including top and stem. Score inside of eggplants in a grid shape, taking care to not cut through flesh all the way through.
• Roast. Roast eggplants until browned and soft, about 35 minutes.
• Cut and dress. With a butter knife, cut through lines you scored in eggplant to release eggplant flesh from skin, it should be in clumps. Pour tahini, minced garlic, pomegranate seeds, sumac, and olive oil over eggplant. Top with chopped cilantro or mint.

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Roasted Eggplants with Tahini and Pomegranates

Use imported tahini. Since we’re using a lot more tahina (tahini) in this recipe than in baba ganoush, it is critical to use one with an amazing flavor. I personally prefer imported tahini from Lebanon or Israel.

Use high quality olive oil. Like the tahini, since we’re using few ingredients in this recipe, it’s important to use an olive oil with a lot of flavor – and a flavor you love. Use a high quality oil with a strong flavor here – this is not a recipe for a light, neutral flavor from extra virgin olive oil like you’d use in cooking.

Change up the spices. I love sumac over this recipe; but it’s Moroccan-Israeli inspiration also fits with Ras El Hanout (a complex and lovely Moroccan mixture of ginger, cardamom, mace, black pepper, anise, nutmeg, turmeric, and other spices); as well as Aleppo Pepper, Cayenne, Cumin, or even a pinch of bread dip spices!

FAQs

Eggplant is done roasting when the skin is dark purple and lightly browned, with a shiny, oily looking appearance – indicating a lot of the water in the vegetable has cooked off. The eggplant will have reduced in size by half or more, and be browned and soft to the touch. It should turn a bit mushy, like applesauce, when pressed with a fork.

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, however, we recommend not storing pomegranate arils for more than a day. This recipe has the best flavor when eaten within the same day, though it is safe to consume later.

These eggplants aren’t mixed like baba ganoush, and we’re using more eggplant than baba ganoush calls for – so while the flavors will be very similar, it is not the same as a baba ganoush recipe.

What to Serve With Roasted Eggplants With Tahini

Roasted eggplants are delicious alongside fish like Lemon Garlic Baked Cod, Orange Glazed Salmon, or even meats like Roast Chicken, Braised Leg of Lamb, and Ribeye Roast.

It’s also delicious with Mediterranean mezze appetizers like Pan Fried Halloumi Greek Cheese, Easy Hummus, Lemon Pepper Air Fried Chickpeas, or Easy Greek Tzatziki.

To see more of our vegan and vegetarian recipes, check out some of our recent favorites below:

Fattoush Salad

Whole Roasted Cauliflower (Easy + Crispy)

Vegan Charro Bean and Rice Soup

Vegan Hashbrown Soup

Vegan Enchilada Pie

Roasted Asparagus in Oven

Roasted Eggplant

Chipotle Lime Rice

Roasted Tahini Pomegranate Eggplants

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