Roasted Eggplant Salad with Goat Cheese and Tahini Dressing
Just when you thought you'd tried all the eggplant recipes, along comes a roasted eggplant salad that's the perfect summer salad recipe, but also says fall. Beautifully charred and savory seasoned roasted eggplant and squash are drizzled with the best lemon tahini dressing. Topped off with crumbled goat cheese and pistachios, this is a salad that doubles as a side dish.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole eggplant sliced and cubed into 1” cubes
- 1 lb butternut squash cubed
- 1 red onion sliced thin
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6-8 cups mixed greens or kale or arugula
- 4 oz crumbled goat cheese
- roasted shelled pistachio meats
For the Lemon Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ c lemon juice
- ⅛ c tahini
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 T honey
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚.
- Lay the cubed eggplant, butternut squash and onion on sheet pans. Use a separate sheet pan for the squash so it doesn't steam from the eggplant (not shown). Toss with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and the seasoning/herbs.1 whole eggplant, 1 lb butternut squash, 1 red onion, 2 T olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon roasted garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Roast until golden at 400 for about 30 minutes. Allow vegetables to cool.
- Meanwhile, mix the dressing ingredients together in a glass measuring cup.1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1/8 c tahini, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 T honey, 1 tsp chopped garlic
- Lay greens in a salad bowl. Top with veggies and drizzle over dressing. Mix and then sprinkle over crumbled goat cheese and pistachios.6-8 cups mixed greens, 4 oz crumbled goat cheese, roasted shelled pistachio meats
Notes
- For a cobb salad-style presentation, keep your veggies separated on the sheet pan, then lay them over the greens in rows. Do the same with the goat cheese and pistachios, then drizzle the dressing on top.
- You can let the dressing sit in the fridge for a few hours or up to a week. Make sure to shake it before serving and allow to come to room temperature for the best flavor.
- If you’ve got the time, I like to do a little trick to get rid of some of the water in my eggplant. After you cut it, lay it on paper towels and sprinkle some salt overtop. Leave it to sit for about 20 minutes. The salt will draw the excess moisture out of the eggplant, so it’s less likely to become mushy when you cook it. Give it a little rinse, then use paper towels to soak up the water.
- At about the 25-minute mark, try poking the veggies with a fork. You want them to be caramelized so turn as needed
