• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Baba Ghanoush

[heart_this] · Feb 14, 2014 · 25 Comments

Baba Ghanoush

A light, tasty and healthy grilled eggplant dip or salad with tahini, lemon juice and salt.

A while ago I was on a hummus kick and it reminded me of another great dip that is very similar, baba ghanoush. Baba ghanoush is a levantine dish made with grilled eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt which are basically the same ingredients in hummus replacing the chickpeas with roasted eggplant and that makes it a great, lighter alternative to hummus. Another great thing about baba ghanoush is how easy it is to make, you simply need to roast the eggplant and then puree it with the remaining ingredients and you are ready to dig in with pitas or crackers, etc. Baba ghanoush is commonly garnished with olive oil, parsley or cilantro and optionally chili powder. In addition to making a great dip baba ghanoush also makes a nice side dish or even a light meal and I enjoy having it for breakfasts along with whole wheat pitas.

Baba Ghanoush
Baba ghanoush is also great topped with pomegranate!

Baba Ghanoush

Baba Ghanoush

Baba Ghanoush

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 8(~4 cups)

A light, tasty and healthy grilled eggplant dip or salad with tahini, lemon juice and salt.

ingredients
  • 2 medium eggplants (~2-3 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (~1 lemon)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin, ground (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
directions
  1. Prick the eggplants a few times with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until really tender, about 30-40 minutes.
  2. Cut the eggplants open, scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor along with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt.
  3. Serve garnished with olive oil, chopped parsley and paprika.
Note: If you have a gas stove you can also grill the eggplant over an open flame at medium-high heat until the skin is charred and the inside is tender instead of baking it in the oven. Doing it this way adds a really nice smokiness to the baba ghanoush!
Tip: Best enjoyed while still warm, though it will keep for several days in the fridge.
Option: Serve topped with pomegranate and/or a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
Option: Replace the parsley with cilantro or mint.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 96, Fat 5g (Saturated 0.8g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0, Sodium 11mg, Carbs 10g (Fiber 5g, Sugars 3g), Protein 2g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Use in:
Baba Ghanoush Burrito Bowl

Similar Recipes:
Hummus
Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Salad)
Htipiti (Greek Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip)
Everything Bagel Hummus

Appetizer, Condiment, Dip, Food, Gluten-free, Mediterranean, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says

    February 14, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    This is such a great dip & I like the way you added the pom arils too!

    Reply
  2. kevin says

    February 14, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    marla {Family Fresh Cooking}: The sweet and juicy pomegranate goes really well with this creamy dip!

    Reply
  3. Gaby says

    February 14, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Best snack ever! I love the pomegranate garnish.

    Reply
  4. Maria says

    February 14, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    Always a favorite!

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    February 14, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    One thing missing from your recipe is sumac spice.

    Reply
  6. Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says

    February 14, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    Kevin – this is one of my favorite dips! Love the pom seeds on top – so pretty!

    Reply
  7. Cheri Savory Spoon says

    February 14, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Such a great dip. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Soria_Fan says

    February 14, 2014 at 9:54 pm

    Sumac is nice but not a necessity. This is a great basic recipe.

    Reply
  9. kevin says

    February 14, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    Anonymous: Sumac would be a great addition! That is one of the things that I love about the recipe, you can teak it to your preferences!

    Reply
  10. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    February 14, 2014 at 11:02 pm

    YES!! I love this dip so much, but haven't made it on my own!! I can't wait to try this Kevin!

    Reply
  11. A Little about Ally! says

    February 15, 2014 at 12:05 am

    Oh, Kevin! You've hit a homerun!! Love love! xo

    Reply
  12. Paula Jones says

    February 15, 2014 at 2:20 am

    I love eggplant and look for recipes to use them in! I will be trying your recipe very soon! Thanks, Kevin!

    Reply
  13. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

    February 15, 2014 at 7:32 am

    This is found everywhere over here in Greece … I love it and would love a good recipe to make my own so definitely bookmarking this. Thank you!

    Reply
  14. Joanne says

    February 15, 2014 at 11:38 am

    This is one of my favorite dips! I especially love it with the pom arils on top…such a nice burst of fruity flavor!

    Reply
  15. Heather Christo says

    February 15, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    OOOOOHHHHH!!! I never make this right! I am SO excited to have what looks to be a perfect recipe! Thanks Kevin!

    Reply
  16. lifeandcity says

    February 17, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    Baba Ghanoush is a great substitute for hummus!

    http://lifeandcity.tumblr.com

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    February 17, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    Made this today and served it with toasted whole wheat pita bread quarters dusted with pimenton, a little cumin and Maldon sea salt. Also sprinkled the pimenton over the top of the top of the Baba Ghanousch, olive oil and parsley. Wonderful flavors and immensely satisfying.

    Reply
  18. Aaron Clifford says

    February 20, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Looks delicious : )) The pomegranate looks really odd on the top of this but I hope it's still delicious.

    Reply
  19. Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch says

    February 21, 2014 at 3:14 am

    I am totally in love with hummus and love baba ghanoush with the pom seeds. Your recipe looks divine. Fabulous photo!

    Reply
  20. ajay says

    February 24, 2014 at 3:25 am

    Your finger looks dried up….try using hand cream 😉 love the recipes….greetings from Manila, Philippines!

    Reply
  21. Aqiyl Aniys says

    March 16, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    Yes I wan to make this today. I was going to eat out one day and ordered the baba ghanoush. I though it looked too white and asked how it was made. They used mayonnaise. It is a good thing I asked because I don't eat mayonnaise. I hate eating out. I can now make baba ghanoush out home. Thanks.

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    April 8, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    I had something very similar when I was in Abu Dhabi. it was delicious. I must try.. I am wondering what sumac is that someone mentoned should be added?

    Reply
  23. kevin says

    April 11, 2014 at 4:48 am

    Anonymous: Sumac is a dark red spice with a lemony flavour. Really it's a personal thing as to whether you use it or not. If the hummus that you had in Abu Dhabi had sumac in it then this recipe might taste a little different. You should be able to find sumac at a good grocery store or a middle eastern or India grocery store and you can easy add it.

    Reply
  24. Jeanette says

    January 21, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    Good recipe, but using a food processor makes it too creamy, whereas it's supposed to be chunky. Next time I make it, I would mash the ingredients with a fork or potato masher instead.

    Reply
  25. kevin says

    January 21, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    Jeanette: Chunky is good as well! And then you don't need to clean the food processor! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.