Roasted Eggplant With Crispy Chickpeas and Cashew Sauce
Published Jan. 16, 2025
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- 2(1-pound) globe (American) eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1(15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 8ounces roasted cashews (about 1¾ cups)
- 2tablespoons tahini
- ¼teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- 3garlic cloves
- 1large lemon
- 1medium to large orange
- 3ounces arugula or salad greens of your choice, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
458 calories; 28 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 788 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a small knife, score each eggplant half by making several ½-inch-deep slices into the cut side of the flesh, like stripes, from edge to edge without cutting through the skin. Place on a sheet pan, season with salt and pepper all over, drizzle generously with oil and place them cut-side down. Add the chickpeas to the pan, season and drizzle with oil.
- Step 2
Roast the eggplant and chickpeas until the eggplant is tender and golden brown and the chickpeas are crispy, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, place the cashews, tahini and crushed red pepper, if using, in the bowl of a food processor. Finely grate the garlic directly into the processor. Finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from both the lemon and orange, then add the zest and juice to the processor. Add ¼ cup water and purée until smooth, scraping down as needed and adding up to ¼ cup more water as needed to make a smooth spreadable sauce. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl (or transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, if not used right away).
- Step 4
Serve the eggplant by spreading some cashew sauce on a serving platter or individual plates, then arrange the arugula and eggplant over — a metal fish spatula works well to lift the eggplant from the pan. Scatter the chickpeas over, dollop with more cashew sauce and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.
Private Notes
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Comments
Great! Made just as the recipe suggests. The cashew-tahini sauce is delicious—for me, the orange is what put it over the top. I might spice up the chickpeas a little next time—and there will be a next time!
It certainly does, but if you want even more color, turn the eggplant cut side up halfway through roasting time.
A nice light dinner. Didn’t have cashews so I used slivered almonds. And used dried rather than canned chickpeas. Tahini sauce was a bit bland. Will add some cumin and coriander to the batch leftover.
Grilled and roasted the eggplant and chickpeas on my grill. Got a real nice smokey flavor. Substituted almonds for cashews because I don't tolerate cashews. Used fresh limes since that is what I had. I found this a versatile dish and easy to make good substitutions to fit ones diet. My sister has made it as is and loves it.
Thumbs up from everybody. The cashew cream was pretty good. Would think about using that sauce with other roasted veggies.
Greatly enjoyed, even by my usually eggplant-avoidant husband. As I did not have cashews I subbed a combo of almonds and walnuts and was still delicious. Seasoned the eggplant and chickpeas with coriander and cumin before baking and flipped the eggplant over halfway through to get more browning.