Healthy Oil-Free Baba Ganoush

I love Lebanese dishes so much because they are mainly vegan by nature and so flavourful! This Baba Ganoush recipe is healthy, oil-free, and easy to follow. The only downside of the Lebanese cuisine I see from a nutritional point of view is huge amounts of oil. That’s why I have twisted the original Baba Ganoush recipe to make it as delicious, tender, and aromatic as the original, just without unhealthy oil!

What is Baba Ganoush?

Baba Ganoush is a Lebanese spread made out of eggplant (aubergines). It is quite similar to hummus, you can use the same secondary ingredients apart from the main one- roasted or grilled eggplant instead of chickpeas.

How do you make Healthy Oil-Free Baba Ganoush from scratch?

To make Baba Ganoush at home, the first thing you need to do is to roast your eggplants in the oven or grill them until they are extra tender, almost mushy. You can easily roast them without oil, just cut them into halves and roast them in the oven, to avoid them becoming too dark, turn around them halfway.

Second, let them cool down and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Here is the trick, the original oily baba ganoush recipes recommend you to drain the whole liquid out and then add oil. But we will do it the healthy and not wasteful way: leave the aubergine flesh in a bowl for a few minutes. You can see that the liquid has separated from the flesh and then you can see how much liquid there really is.

Next, carefully scoop the aubergine out of the bowl and leave some liquid in the bowl. Then add to the blender fresh garlic, lemon juice, spices, tahini, fresh cilantro, or parsley and blend. If you feel it’s too think, add more of the saved aubergine liquid. Easy and healthy Spread ready to eat!

Is Baba Ganoush served hot or cold?

You can prepare Baba Ganoush in advance and eat it cold. Typically it is served cold, but I also enjoy it when it is freshly made – warm or at room temperature.

How long does homemade Baba Ganoush last?

If you make a big batch of it, I recommend keeping it in the fridge for 3-4 days, not more.

What to eat Baba Ganoush with?

• You can have it a dip for potato wedges, falafel, or veggie sticks;
• Use it as a spread on bread, sandwiches, and wraps;
• Serve it as a dressing for an oriental-style bowl.

Oil-Free Baba Ganoush Recipe

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 45-60 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

• 2 Large Eggplants ( Aubergines) (220 g. of flesh after roasting)
• 2 small Garlic Cloves
• 25 g. Tahini
• 3 tbsp. of Fresh Parsley or Cilantro Leaves  ( I prefer Cilantro for a more intense flavour)
• 20 g. Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin or seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Criander
• 1 pinch of Chili Flakes/dried sweet Paprika or Harissa mix
• Salt to taste 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C (392);
2. Cut out the top stem of the eggplant;
3. Cut the Egglapnts into halves lengthwise and place them on the baking tray;
4. Roast them until the skin goes wrinkly and they are very tender. Depending on the size, it might take from 30 up to 60 minutes; 
5. When the aubergines are ready, cool them down and scoop the flesh with a tablespoon into a bowl;
6. Let the flesh stay in the bowl for a few minutes and you will see how the liquid has separated around it in the bowl;
7. Add the flesh to the blender together with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth or chunky, how you prefer! 

Notes

1. We remove the eggplant skin because it might be bitter, in baba ganoush we use only the flesh to get that tenderness and softness of the dish;
2. In terms of roasting the eggplants without oil, make sure to turn them around halfway to avoid darkening or burning, if you find that 200 C. is too high for your oven, then turn it down a bit and keep an eye on the eggplant to not overburn them;
3. Use more or less eggplant liquid to adjust it to your taste and the purpose of this dish. You can make it thinner for a dressing and thicket for a dip or spread. 

Did You Make This Recipe?

How you went with my recipes? Tag me on Instagram at @Cashewdate