Miso Eggplant Salad With Chickpeas

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published September 17, 2025

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Ready In
35 min
Rating
4(22)
Comments
Read comments

The flawless flavor pairing found in the popular Japanese dish miso-glazed eggplant serves as inspiration for this bold and textural salad. For high-temperature roasting, cutting the eggplant into chunky pieces optimizes golden, crisp edges with a buttery and silky interior. The vinaigrette is a standout, punchy from the ginger, intensely savory from the miso, with a sweet hum from the mirin. The simplicity of a salad founded on just eggplant and chickpeas makes this an excellent weeknight option, but there are also many ways to add more heft: Incorporate a few handfuls of spinach, add some pan-fried or baked tofu, or toss with some cold soba noodles. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Eggplant Salad

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

  • 2 pounds eggplant (about 3 small or 2 medium), trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed

  • 2 scallions, sliced

  • Toasted white sesame seeds 

For the Miso Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons white (shiro) miso paste

  • 2 tablespoons mirin 

  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated 

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 

  • 1 teaspoon sugar 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

68 grams carbs; 574 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 22 grams fiber; 1151 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 18 grams sugar

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

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the eggplant salad: In a small bowl, mix together the vegetable oil and sesame oil. Place the eggplant on a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with the oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Place in the oven and roast until the eggplant is tender, with golden edges, 20 to 25 minutes. 

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, make the dressing: Place the miso, mirin, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

  4. Step 4

    Add the eggplant to the bowl with the dressing, along with the chickpeas and scallions; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
22 user ratings
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Comments

Scout277

I made this as written and thought it was very good. I wanted more acid & heat so I added some lime juice and red pepper flakes. It needs quite a bit of salt and black pepper. I understand the recipe suggestion for soba noodles, but I decided to use short pasta (pipe) to conform to the size of the other ingredients. I also think adding the roasted eggplant at time of serving will keep its crisp roasted nature intact. I used both black and white sesame seeds for contrast. Mint or dill also.

Name

@Dan from Seattle agreed, rice works better dry (aka noodles need sauce to make them edible. rice naturally has great flavour)

Judy

Didn’t have chickpeas but had mushrooms and bok choy….added mushrooms to sheet pan with eggplant, sautéed bok choy in wok, mixed all with the sauce. Delish!

Sarah Indianapolis

Looks perfect for our eggplant harvest! Think I might roast up 1/2 of the chickpeas alongside for some extra texture.

Sarah Indianapolis

Whelp, I threw 1/2 the chickpeas onto the sheetpan with about 15 min to go. All just steamed together (and I had to pull it out since the rest of dinner was ready). So I’ll try a different method next time. Didn’t have enough eggplant so subbed in some oyster muchroom as it has a similar volume and texture. We liked the mushrooms much better than the eggplant…as per protocol. Dressing is a keeper! Drizzled some on the salmon filets too!

sue Carlyle

Does it matter what kind of eggplant you use? ( Asian vs Italian?)

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