Bulgur Stuffed Eggplant ~ Fresh Herbs & Tahini-Yogurt Drizzle
Middle Eastern spiced eggplant roasted until perfectly caramelized, mixed with a fresh herbed bulgur salad and topped with a bright and tangy tahini drizzle for a hearty, healthy, and deliciously vegetarian dish!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Spice Mixture
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon preserved lemon paste
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Eggplant & Bulgur Salad
- 2 eggplant
- 1 cup bulgar
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/3 cup barberries or currants
- 1/3 cup pine nuts toasted
- 3 green onions chopped, set som aside for toppings
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon preserved lemon paste
- 2 tablespoons parsley set som aside for toppings
- 2 tablespoons mint
- pinch red pepper flakes to taste
- handfull pomegrante seeds for toppings, optional
- kosher salt & pepper to taste
Tahini-Yogurt Drizzle
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ice water as needed
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
- To make the spice mixture, in a small bowl, mix together the cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon paste, olive oil, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture.
- Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with deep, diagonal crisscross cuts, making sure not to pierce the skin. Brush the spice mixture over each half, spreading it evenly and place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet, cut side up. Put in the oven and roast until the flesh is completely soft, 40-50 minutes.
- While the eggplant bakes, bring water to boil. Stir in bulgur and let simmer for 12 minutes. Drain off any excess water and fluff with a fork.
- Soak the barberries in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
- To make tahini yogurt drizzle, whisk together yogurt, garlic clove, tahini, fresh lemon juice, ground cumin, and kosher salt in a small bowl, adding ice water as needed to thin it out until you reach your desired consistency.
- Very gently scoop the eggplant flesh from the eggplants, being sure to leave about ¼-inch of flesh in the skins. Roughly chop the eggplant flesh.
- Heat the remaining spice mixture over medium heat and add the cooked bulgur, then fold in the chopped eggplant flesh, drained barberries, pine nuts, green onions, and fresh herbs. Off heat, add a splash of red wine vinegar, preserved lemon paste, crushed red pepper flakes and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff the eggplant with the bulgur mixture. It’s okay if some of it falls alongside the eggplant. Return the eggplants to the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Transfer eggplants to a serving platter and top with parsley, green onions, lots of tahini yogurt dressing and pomegranate seeds (optional).
Notes
- Don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat (which has a much longer cooking time).
- Score eggplant before baking to help set the flesh free.
- The yogurt-tahini dressing is *not* optional here.
- Quinoa or millet can be substituted for bulgur.
- Leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.