Turkish Roasted Eggplant Salad

Eggplant recipes like Turkish stuffed eggplant and  imam bayıldı (which is like the vegetarian version of stuffed eggplants) are in abundance in Turkish homes with the start of summer. We can not recommend these two eggplant dishes enough.  

We also love roasted eggplants/aubergines in dip recipes like baba ganoush and in kebab recipes like eggplant kebab, which makes an ultimate summer dinner. 

If you love eggplants, try all these recipes! Love roasting other veggies? Check out our oven roasted veggie kabobs too!

Summer is finally here and it is the high time of eggplants. They are so fresh and have way more flavor at this time of the year. They are simply one of our favorite veggies with their wonderfully soft texture and smoky flavor when cooked. When we can't find fresh eggplants in winter, we buy dried eggplants and stuff them for another heavenly Turkish dish.

And this roasted eggplant salad with a simple olive oil and vinegar salad dressing brings the summer flavors on your table. Just like Turkish potato salad and piyaz salad, this eggplant salad makes a wonderful side dish or a light lunch on its own.

Why Should You Make This Recipe

This roasted eggplant salad is screaming summer flavors. It is the perfect combination of smoky flavor of roasted eggplants and fresh summer tomatoes and parsley.

It is a great side dish to pair with dishes like kofta kebabs or cast iron chicken breast. It makes a healthy lunch on its own as well.

You can make it ahead of time and wait at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

About The Ingredients

This roasted eggplant salad is packed with Mediterranean flavors and it is a popular kind of Turkish meze. Mezes are the appetizers of Turkish cuisine and they are served before or with the main dishes like kebabs.

Garlic, lemon and olive oil are staple in Turkish meze recipes. These ingredients give the food so much flavor that most of the time people are already full by the time the main dish arrives. You can never stop eating a meze.

Here in this Turkish eggplant salad, we make a simple dressing with olive oil, vinegar and garlic, which makes the salad irresistible. So, you can be generous with olive oil and lemon juice while making your salad. However, be careful with the amount of garlic. As we use it raw here, too much of it will make the salad too strong.

The spices in the dressing here are black pepper and sumac. They help to bind all the flavors in the salad. You can also add some za'atar if you like its taste. If you are making it for adults only, you can add some hot red pepper flakes too.

As for the fresh herbs, we use parsley only because it goes really great with eggplants but you can use fresh dill, basil or mint and green onions or thyme if you like.

Also, we use juicy summer tomatoes. They give a super fresh and summery touch to the roasted eggplant salad. 

Finally, pistachios enrich the eggplant salad with their nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Use whatever nuts you like or leave them out if you don’t want.

How To Make It

There are three easy parts of this recipe.

First, roast the eggplants. Preheat oven to 375F. Then, with a fork, prick the eggplants in a few places randomly. Place them in a baking sheet and roast for about an hour.

You should check them after 40 minutes to see if they are tender because this duration might change depending on the size of the eggplants. When cooked you can peel and chop them roughly.

Second, make the olive oil and vinegar salad dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, black pepper, sumac, mashed garlic, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour it over the eggplants and stir well.

Third, top the roasted eggplant with diced tomatoes and chopped parsley. We always love it with extra olive oil as a final touch, but it’s optional.

If you want to have it cold, keep it in refrigerator a few hours before serving. Otherwise that’s it! Your salad is ready!

If you are not vegan, this Turkish eggplant salad can also be served with Greek yogurt on the top. Roasted eggplants and yogurt pair up really well.

Expert Tips

• Don't forget to prick the eggplants before baking them. Otherwise, their inside won't be cooked well.
• Make sure they are melting soft when they are cooked. Test with a fork and if you feel they are not that soft yet, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
• You can either toss everything well in a bowl or put the chopped tomatoes and herbs as a topping when serving.
• If the seeds inside are too large, cut that part off after they are baked. To do this, peel the roasted eggplants, cut them lengthwise into two and remove the inner part containing seeds with a knife.
• If you want to peel them easily, store them in a plastic bag while hot for 5 minutes. This will make the peeling process super easy. But I don’t think it’s necessary if they are wonderfully tender.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve a bowl of roasted eggplant salad with tomatoes and herbs for a light lunch on its own. It would be great to pair it with pita bread, Turkish pide bread or lavash bread.

Also, you can serve this salad as a side dish for a summer BBQ. It goes really well with any grilled chicken or meat.

Our favorite dishes to pair with it are chicken shish kabobs and Adana kebab. And as a vegetarian option, we do love it paired with grilled halloumi cheese or feta cheese too.

Ways To Roast Eggplants

You have a couple of options for roasting whole eggplants.

• In the oven: As in this recipe, eggplants can be roasted whole well at 375F in oven within 40 minutes. We shared the details above or in the recipe card. You can roast them sliced too as in Anna’s amazing Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe.
• On the stove top: Place eggplants over the flames on the gas stove top. Roast them for 20-30 minutes, rotating occasionally until really soft and the skin gets charred. However, I have to say this method is a bit messy as the eggplants release juice around the burner when cooking.
• On the grill outside: Just make sure that the grill is not too hot. Place eggplants on it when it is at low heat. Otherwise, the skin of the eggplants burn before the flesh is completely cooked.

PRO TIP: No matter how you roast eggplants, remember to pierce the eggplants with a fork to have small holes where the steam can escape.

All the methods above explain roasting whole eggplants. There is one more method: Roast them sliced.

To roast the eggplant slices, spread them evenly on two baking sheets. Make sure they don't overlap. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until completely soft. Let them cool and continue with the rest of the steps in the recipe.

Israili Eggplant Salad vs Turkish Eggplant Salad

Middle Eastern eggplant salad recipes have some differences depending on the country. Another popular eggplant salad in Middle Eastern cuisine is Israili eggplant salad.

Unlike our Turkish Eggplant Salad, eggplants are usually fried in the Israili version and combined with fried bell peppers. The fried vegetables are combined with a tomato sauce and cooked for the second time. 

This naturally brings more calories but as tasty as the Turkish version. Both eggplant salad recipes can be served cold and are always a hit as a dip. And leftovers taste even better.

Is Roasted Eggplant Salad Good?

Eggplant salad recipes deserve more room in the kitchen not only because of its exquisite flavor but also for its health benefits.

Like many other vegetables, eggplants are very rich in dietary fiber, a basic part of any balanced diet. Fiber makes you feel full and have less calories since it moves through the digestive track slowly. High in fiber and low in calories, eggplants make a great contribution to a weight loss diet (source).

Also, eggplants contain a big amount of antioxidants as well.  They could help prevent diseases like cancer (source).

So yes, this salad is definitely good for a regular diet.

Is This Salad Vegan

Absolutely. This Turkish eggplant salad recipe does not contain anything non-vegan. Well, it is one of the best vegan salads that can be served as a satisfying lunch.