This warm Israeli eggplant salad is naturally gluten free and oh-so-delicious. You’ll find it aromatic and cozy, perfect as an appetizer or stand alone dish. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
I can’t stop thinking about this naturally gluten-free Israeli eggplant salad. It’s so savory and warm and tastes amazing when served on top of pasta or even as a stand-alone side dish to a formal meal.
Let me tell you where my obsession to make – and perfect – this eggplant salad began.
Last month I visited the beautiful country of Israel, where I learned all about the Israeli people and I immersed myself in the culture.
That said, one of the best parts about traveling to Israel was the food. There were so many wonderful dishes in Israel that are rarely found in the U.S. It was a feast indeed!
The country’s culinary ranks are obsessed with using fresh ingredients, rendering so many of the foods there naturally gluten free and good for you.
When traveling through Israel, I was able to enjoy gluten-free falafel at a shuk in Jerusalem. True story! I also enjoyed a variety of warm Israeli dishes such as shakshuka, homemade hummus, and baba ganoush. But one of my favorite meals was this warm, tomato-y Israeli eggplant salad. I knew I would have to recreate this when I returned to the U.S.
I began to research warm eggplant salads on the Internet and discovered a blogger named Tori Avery. Tori features a ton of Mediterranean and Israeli recipes on her blog. While her recipes are gluten free, many of them are naturally gluten free or can easily be made gluten free.
Inspired by Tori’s blog and recipe, and the flavors I immersed myself in when touring Israel, I set forth to make a warm roasted eggplant salad of my own.
How to Make an Israeli Eggplant Salad
To make a warm and aromatic Israeli eggplant salad, start by sauteing peeled and diced eggplant in a medium sized stock pot for about five minutes. Add diced bell peppers and continue to cook for another five minutes until softened and lightly browned. Then add garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Next add tomato sauce, water, seasonings and spices and allow it simmer for 1-2 hours, covered, on your stove top.
That’s it! All the flavors will meld together while it simmers in your pot. Your house will smell incredible and you will be anxiously awaiting your first taste test. Once it’s cooked down, give it a mix, taste it, add more salt and pepper, if needed, and enjoy!
In the end, you find yourself with a beautiful, flavorful and truly exquisite warm Israeli eggplant salad that tastes like you’re traveling through the Middle East.
You can serve this warm dish as an appetizer with my artisan gluten-free bread or pull-apart dinner rolls, or as a main dish served over gluten-free pasta.
Regardless of how you serve it, it will be warm, slightly spicy, aromatic, and cozy.
This aromatic dish is perfect for entertaining, especially if you’re hosting an Israeli or mediterranean-themed party, or feel free to keep this dish all to yourself. No sharing necessary.
More Recipes
Enjoy these recipes too:
- Gluten-Free Falafel Recipe
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad without the Gluten
- Easy Beef Brisket Recipe (Perfect for Jewish Holidays)
- Gluten-Free Artisan Bread Recipe
- Gluten-Free Challah Recipe
Israeli Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large eggplant washed, seeded and diced into chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper washed, seeded and diced into 1 in chunks
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce canned
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt more to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium stock pot over medium high heat, then add the diced eggplant. Cook eggplant for about 5 minutes or until gently browned, stirring often. Add diced red peppers and cook for another 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic to pot and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot including the tomato sauce, water, cumin, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down heat (simmer) and cover.
- Cook for 1.5-2 hours (or longer) to allow the flavors to come together and eggplant and peppers to cook down more, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, season with S&P to taste (if needed), and serve warm.
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