The whole world these days seems to have gone hummus crazy! It’s everywhere and it’s spread cannot be stopped, garlic hummus, red pepper hummus, even beet hummus. But today, we bring you something different, another Mediterranean inspired dip, one so rich, flavorful and creamy, you’ll be kicking Hummus to the curb, it’s our Herb Loaded Creamy Babaganoush.
In all seriousness, I still love hummus. But this dip absolutely saved me and Andrew during Whole 30, those dark, bean-less days. Babaghanoush is a dip that is made of roasted eggplant, blended with garlic, lemon juice and in this case, tons of herbs! It’s completely plantbased, and incredibly delicious. Our version here gets a punch up of smoky flavor from cumin, and a bold, freshness from tons of fresh herbs.
I have to warn you, this is a dish that takes a little bit of extra love and time because everything in it is cooked before blending. I promise you though it’s worth it. Honestly, the cooking process for this dish is extra awesome because there’s something incredibly fun about charring the skins of the eggplant and then peeling the skins to reveal the creamy, meaty eggplant in the middle. Also in this recipe you get to do one of my favorite cooking processes, roasting garlic and squeezing it out of the shells .. YES!!
Charring the eggplant is the trickiest part. If you don’t have a gas range stove, try accomplishing this by putting them in the broiler for 2 minutes on each side. It’s easier to get it really nice and charred on the stove though, don’t be afraid of burning it, the more charred it gets, the smokier the dip will be, and it’s fabulous.
Pro tip, this recipe is great to use as a midday snack during the week and will keep great in the fridge, but it’s really good if you heat it up just a bit. It transitions very well into a comforting, warm snack. So cut up some celery and carrots and dig in!
Until Next Time,
Jackie & Andrew
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Herb Loaded Babaganoush
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
It’s time to mix up your usual hummus routine with this Herb Loaded Babaganoush. This super creamy, rich dip made from roasted eggplant, garlic, tons of fresh herbs and lemon juice, its the perfect weekday snack.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 whole eggplant
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbs fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, if you have a gas stove, char the eggplant. You do this by lighting one of your stove burners on high and using tongs to hold the eggplant over the flame. Essentially, you’re roasting them like a marshmallow, turn the sides until all sides of the eggplant are slightly charred. You’ll see the skin start to darken and get hard. If you don’t want to hold the tongs the whole time, you can lay the eggplants on the metal guards that sit over the flame. Keep an eye on it and make sure the green tops don’t catch fire!
- When the eggplants are charred, place them onto a baking sheet. Slice the top off the head of garlic and make a little cup with a piece of aluminum foil. Place the head of garlic in the foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap it tight in the foil and plan on the baking sheet with the eggplant. Bake the eggplant and garlic for 20 minutes. When the eggplants are done, they will just be starting to collapse in on themselves.
- While the eggplant and garlic are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until they are browned and caramelized. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes until they’re cooled down enough to handle.
- Once the eggplant is cooled off, chop the green tops off and peel the skin. This part is really fun because the eggplants are really soft and meaty, use a paring knife if you need a little help but if they’re soft enough you can peel it with your fingers. Then chop the peeled eggplant into slices and place into a large food processor. Take the head of garlic and squeeze the bottom until all the roasted garlic is out of its shells, add the roasted garlic to the food processor with the eggplant.
- Add in the onions, cumin, paprika, salt, dill, parsley, mint and lemon juice and blend on high until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The sauce should be thick and creamy. If it needs a hint more tang add more lemon juice or just a splash of apple cider vinegar. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and extra mint.
