Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Tomato-y Lentils and Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:
- Eggplants, 2 small
- Puy or French lentils, 1.5 cups dried
- Salt, ½ tsp (for lentils) + ¼ tsp (for the eggplant) + ¼ tsp (for sautéing onion/garlic)
- Olive oil, 4 tbsp (for cooking the eggplant) + 1 tbsp (for sautéing the onion/garlic)
- Fresh Italian / flat-leaf parsley, 1 cup finely chopped
- Passata (strained tomato puree), 1 cup
- Garlic, 2 cloves minced
- Red onion, 1 cup finely chopped (1 small onion)
- Smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp
- Chili powder, 1/2 tsp
- Cumin powder, 1/2 tsp
Tahini sauce:
- Tahini, ¼ cup
- Lemon juice, 3 tbsp
- Water, 13 tbsp
- Salt, ¼ tsp
- Garlic, 1 clove minced
*Note: The tahini I used was very thick. If you have runny tahini, I suggest using a little less water. Add 6 tbsp and then adjust until you get a creamy but not too thick consistency.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the eggplants in half and then use a paring knife to cut into the center of each eggplant. Use a spoon to scrape out a hollow center, leaving enough eggplant flesh so it’s sturdy enough to hold the filling. Place the eggplant flesh-side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle over ¼ tsp of salt along with 4 tbsp of olive oil (1 tbsp per eggplant half). Bake for 35 minutes. Tip: Use the leftover eggplant flesh for making baba ganoush.
- In a blender, mix the tahini with water, garlic and salt. Empty into a jar. Then add the lemon juice and shake well. Set aside. Note: If you blend the lemon juice with the other ingredients, it can create an unappetizing texture.
- Cook the lentils by bringing 1.5 cups of dried, rinsed lentils to a boil with 3 cups of water and ½ tsp of salt. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- In a large frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Stir frequently. Turn down the heat to low and add the minced garlic, spices, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the cooked lentils to the frying pan along with the passata and cook for 4 minutes over low heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley, allowing the herb to wilt in for a couple of minutes.
- Stuff the eggplants with the lentil mixture, generously drizzle over some of the tahini sauce and enjoy!
