Smoky Baba Ganoush (Authentic)
Delicious creamy restaurant-style baba ganoush made with fire-roasted eggplants, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, and olive oil! This is a classic baba ganoush recipe that is sure to please everyone!
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants ~1 ¾ pounds
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2-4 cloves garlic to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin or more to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne or more if you want it spicy
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Prepared pita chips for serving
Instructions
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF if you are baking the eggplant in the oven. See notes below for stovetop method. Line a metal baking sheet with foil. Place a wire baking rack on top, set aside.
- ROASTING EGGPLANTS: Pierce holes into the eggplant (about 1/4 inch deep or so) with a knife or fork. Spray eggplant with cooking spray, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 65 minutes. Turn halfway through the cooking time. Check eggplant by piercing with a fork. If there is resistence, let them cook for longer (up to 90 minutes in total.) Remove from oven, place the eggplants in a bowl and cover with foil. Allow to steam in bowl for 20-25 minutes. This will help make it easier to peel.
- EGGPLANT: Remove the skin from the eggplants and collect the flesh in a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard skin. You can remove the center core if your eggplants have too many seeds as it may make your baba ganoush bitter. Sprinkle with salt. Give it a good mix and allow the eggplants to drain for at least 15 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the eggplants before blending, but do not rinse.
- PULSE: Combine the lemon juice, tahini paste, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Give it a few pulses until the tahini loosens up and the garlic is minced.
- FINISH: Add the drained eggplant, cumin, cayenne, and olive oil to the food processor and process to desired texture. Stir in the yogurt (if using) and parsley. Adjust seasonings to preference. Place baba ganoush in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and allow to cool for at least 8 hours.
- SERVE: with homemade pita chips and veggies.
Notes
- Stove top eggplant broiling: You can cook the eggplant on a gas stove, if you don’t mind making a little bit of a mess. Line the stove with foil so that it makes for easier cleanup. Place the washed and dried eggplant on the grate of the stove and cook for 5 minutes or each side, over medium high heat, for a total of 15-20 minutes. Rotate the eggplant over the open flame to get it to brown evenly. Char the skin, we’re only interested in the flesh anyway! You can then pick up the recipe from step #3.
