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Simple, healthy, and summery, Roasted Eggplant with Herby Quinoa. A simple recipe made with wholesome ingredients you probably already have at home. This recipe is essentially a quinoa salad, served with beautifully roasted eggplants. A healthy, light dinner to enjoy on warmer summer days.
Ingredients for this Roasted Eggplant with Herby Quinoa recipe:
- Eggplants: DUH! Eggplants are one of my favorite vegetables to cook with in summer.
- Quinoa: Any type is fine! I used regular but red or black will work too! Make sure you give the quinoa a rinse before using. You could even use brown rice if you prefer (if you do use rice, you’ll have to adjust the amount of water and cooking time).
- Pine nuts: These really take this recipe to another level. Do not skip!
- Onion: Just one! My preferance is always red onion but white onion will work too.
- Herbs: Fresh coriander and fresh mint.
- Spices: A little ground cumin, pink salt and black pepper. Oh, and if you’re like me some chili red pepper flakes too!
- Garlic: I used frozen cubes (I bulk buy my garlic, blitz it in my Vitamix and freeze). Fresh will work exactly the same.
- Tomato puree: AKA tomato paste.
- Olive oil: Just a few tablespoons of olive oil, half for roasting the eggplant, the other half for the herby quinoa.
- Veggie stock: A cube of vegetable stock, mix with water.
- Lemon: Just a half of a lemon, or you can use bottled lemon juice.
- Toppings: I kept it simple with plant based feta cheese and pomegranate. But you can add tahini sauce, sun-dried tomatoes etc.
Roasting the eggplants…
Initially, I wanted to create a stuffed eggplant recipe but then decided to make a summery, slightly charred, BBQ vibes kinda recipe. Start with your eggplants, and slice them in half. Gently score the flesh of the eggplant diagonally, then the opposite way. This will ensure the eggplant cooks throughout more easily, and you’ll be gifted with soft eggplant in every bite. Place onto a baking sheet (or baking dish), and brush the scored side with the tomato puree and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. (I like to mix together the tomato puree and olive oil in a small bowl first.) Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Pop into the oven and roast for 35-45 minutes or until the tops start to char slightly. Remove from the oven and brush with another tablespoon of olive oil. Carefully flip the eggplant, and bake with the skin side up for another 15 minutes.
All about the herby quinoa…
Made with a handful of ingredients, this herby quinoa elevates this recipe effortlessly. Start by heating your pot over low heat. Add in two tablespoons of olive oil. Once warm, add in the sliced onions, pine nuts and garlic. If at any point the garlic starts to stick, add in a splash of water and mix. Cook these together until the onions become translucent. Add in the ground cumin, salt and mix together. Pour in the veggie stock water, and mix in the quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, allow to rest with the lid on for a further 10 minutes. Mix in the chopped coriander, chopped mint and lemon juice.
Final touches…
Transfer the herby quinoa onto a serving dish/bowl. Add the roasted eggplants on top. Top the dish with more freshly chopped herbs, pomegranate seeds and plant based feta cheese. Serve warm!
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 /2 tbsp grated garlic
- salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 veggie stock cube
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 6 tbsp chopped coriander
- 3 tbsp chopped mint
Instructions
- Roasted Eggplants: Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Slice eggplants in half, and gently score the flesh of the eggplant diagonally, then the opposite way. Brush with 1 tbsp of olive oil and the tomato puree. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 35-45 minutes. Brush the flesh side with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and carefully flip. Roast for another 15-20 minutes.
- Herby Quinoa: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat. Add in the pine nuts, red onion and garlic. Mix in the ground cumin and salt. Pour in the water, add in the stock cube and quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and then simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow to rest with the lid on for a further 10 minutes. Remove the lid, and mix in the chopped coriander, chopped mint and lemon juice.
- To serve, transfer herby quinoa onto a serving dish/bowl. Place the roasted eggplants on top. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, plant-based feta cheese and more fresh herbs. Enjoy warm!
