Eggplant is cooked in a pan with smoked paprika and garlic. Once tender, it’s blended into a flavorful dip with tahini, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and a touch of molasses. Enjoy this vegan and gluten free dip with crudité, crackers, or flatbread!
The first thing that always comes to mind when I get my hands on eggplant is baba ghanouj, a delicious Middle Eastern dip made of roasted eggplant, tahini, and spices. But, since eggplant is a summer crop and one of the last things I want to do when it’s sweltering out is turn on my oven! Enter the stove!
For this dip, I cook eggplant on the stove with plenty of spices until it is nice and tender. Then it gets blended into a flavorful dip with tahini and a touch of apple cider vinegar and molasses. The smokiness comes from the smoked paprika. It lends a lovely depth of flavor and makes it feel as if you roasted your eggplant over the fire rather than a hot skillet. Enjoy this dip with summer veggies like cucumbers or use it as a sandwich spread.
This recipe was made with produce from my CSA with local farm Loam Agronomics.
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Smoky Eggplant Dip
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Eggplant is cooked in a pan with smoked paprika and garlic. Once tender, it’s blended into a flavorful dip with tahini, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and a touch of molasses. Enjoy this vegan and gluten free dip with crudité, crackers, or flatbread!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 1/2 lbs Asian eggplant, diced
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1/2 tsp granulated garlic)
- 1 large lemon, cut in half
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2/3 cup tahini or sunflower seed butter
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp molasses
- Chopped olives for garnish (optional)
- Sliced cucumbers or crackers for serving (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden around the edges. Add the eggplant, a good pinch each of salt and pepper, the garlic, the juice of half of lemon, and the paprika. Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is soft and tender (this will take from 10 to 15 minutes).
Once the eggplant is tender, add the mixture to a food processor or blender along with the juice of the other lemon half, the tahini, the molasses, and the apple cider vinegar. Blend to your desired consistency then season with more salt or pepper if needed. Garnish the dip with chopped olives (optional) and serve with cucumber slices or your favorite crackers or flatbread.
Makes 2 ½ to 3 cups of dip.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: appetizer
