Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe

While the eggplant may be a popular emoji, it's not everyone's favorite vegetable. When eggplant is served straight up, it tends to have a texture that many people do not care for. However, it's truly delicious when blended into a dip with other flavorings to make the Middle Eastern dish called baba ganoush. Baba ganoush may be one of the few recipes where the "secret ingredient" is also the main ingredient. While this vegetable, which is technically a type of fruit, is the main body of the dish, the tahini, garlic, and lemon juice add plenty of flavor (via Reader's Digest).

"This baba ganoush tastes so fresh, creamy, and wholesome," says recipe developer Catherine Brookes. She tells us that it's quite simple to make, and doesn't require too many different ingredients. Even though it's easy to make, though, Brookes assures us that her baba ganoush "feels like a fancy addition to a meal or platter."

To make this baba ganoush, you'll start with a couple of eggplants. You will also need some tahini. The other ingredients are standard household staples: lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. If you're a fan of garnishing your culinary creations, you can optionally add parsley, or a sprinkle of paprika. 

Preheat the oven to 400 F, then cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Put the eggplant halves on a sheet pan with their cut sides up, then drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands to rub the seasonings into the eggplant halves, but don't bother seasoning the skin, as this will be discarded in the next step. Bake the eggplants for 40 minutes, until brown and tender. 

Put the cooked eggplant halves in a sieve in the sink or over a bowl with the skins facing up. Then, use a spoon to press out the moisture, and let drain for 20 minutes. Once the eggplant halves have cooled, peel and discard the skin from the eggplant. Brookes explains that "It's much easier to remove the skins, and scoop out the flesh once everything is tender."

Put the eggplant flesh into a food processor along with the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and remaining oil. Purée the ingredients until smooth, then taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add the parsley and paprika on top, if desired. 

Baba ganoush is typically eaten as a dip, and Brookes tells us "I like to serve [it] with slice toasted pita bread, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, or tortilla chips." If you want to think outside the bowl, though, it can also be used as a sandwich spread or pasta sauce.