This Roasted Eggplant spread has a rich, smoky flavor from perfectly roasted eggplant, bell pepper, and onion. Creamy and vibrant, it’s silky smooth against a slice of crusty bread or fresh veggies, and seems to just wake up the entire table. It can definitely star on it’s own, but it’s also versatile enough to be paired with sandwiches, pasta, or grilled meats. This one brings serious flavor!
Eggplant can be tricky to work with, but luckily I am a sucker for roasted vegetables. Also, I am a sucker for dips and spreads. Good news for me? It’s pretty much impossible to mess up roasted eggplant (especially when you purée it after you roast it).
Ingredients Needed
- eggplant
- bell peppers
- red onion
- garlic
- extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- tomato paste or puréed oven-roasted tomatoes
How to Make Roasted Eggplant Spread
- Roast chopped eggplant, peppers, onion, and smashed garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper until tender and golden.
- Let cool slightly, then pulse in a blender or food processor with tomato paste or roasted tomatoes to your preferred texture.
- Serve warm as a spread for bread or on a pita, or toss with pasta for a simple vegetarian meal.
Storage & Other Tips
- Roasting: be sure to roast your vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet for even caramelization.
- Pulsing: pulse just a few times in the blender or food processor. You want a spreadable texture with some body, not a completely smooth purée.
- Serving: Serve the dip warm with slices of baguette, sourdough bread, Rosemary Focaccia, Naan, pitas, pita chips, your finger, a spoon, whatever. This would also be an amazing, flavorful vegetarian sauce to toss hot pasta in for a light summer meal straight from your garden
- Refrigeration: Cool the spread to near room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps well for 3 – 4 days.
- Serving leftovers: Bring it back up to room temperature or warm it slightly, and give it a good stir before serving again; it will probably separate and thicken up in the fridge.
- Freezing: not sure on this one since we’ve never tried it, but in theory it should work. The texture will definitely shift a bit. If you try this, let us know how it goes! Thaw it in the fridge a day before you’d like to serve it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a common technique when working with fresh eggplant. However, it’s not required in this recipe. Roasting caramelizes the eggplant and removes bitterness naturally.
Yes, it actually develops more flavor after resting in the fridge for a few hours. Just warm it slightly before serving.
I tested freezing this recipe and it worked great! The texture when serving again might change a bit, so stir it well before enjoying for the second time.
Roasted Eggplant Spread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant medium
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 red onion medium
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or puréed oven-roasted tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- Chop eggplant, peppers, and onion into 1″ cubes. Smash the garlic. Toss together the vegetables and then drizzle them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables and then spread them over the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. Flip and stir the vegetables with a spatula and then roast for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Place the roasted vegetables along with the tomato paste or roasted tomatoes into a blender or food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached.
- Serve warm with slices of sourdough bread, pita chips, flatbread, or Rosemary Focaccia. You can also toss this sauce with hot pasta for a light vegetarian meal.
Questions & Reviews
Do you think this could be frozen? I am wondering about making a double batch, then just dividing it out into individual servings and freezing it. Then I can pull out one serving at a time for my husband to take to work or for me to grab for a quick snack. TIA
Yep, you can definitely freeze it!
Do u peel the eggplant?
Nah, don’t worry about peeling it… 🙂
Haha, my son just saw your logo and called his brother in to see “the heart maked out of 2 oranges.” Apparently he thinks it’s pretty sweet!
Yay, thank you for this recipe! I tried eggplant for the first time a couple months ago and really had a hard time with the texture. I think I could handle it pureed. I got one in my Bountiful Basket and was kind of sad. I hate wasting, so this will be perfect even if I have to eat it all myself!
this stuff is so.darn.good. i’ve made it four times now and every time i make it, i marvel how delicious and versatile it is. it can be a spread, it can be a dip, and my favorite? served over whole wheat pasta to unsuspecting children and husband who don’t know they are eating EGGPLANT 🙂
thank you!!
I made this this after noon…we love it! Nice change from my homemade hummus. Thank you!
Umm, this is awesome. And I am now addicted to oven roasted tomatoes. So, thanks for that! I’ve also learned that as a Mormon you’re not allowed to say “homosexual”, but you are allowed to judge someone for it. But only if a lot of other people can read it. Learning lots, thanks! 🙂
Huh? That’s funny because I’m a Mormon and I say it quite often. My brother is a homosexual. Gasp. I said it. Besides, what in the heck does that have to do with Roasted Eggplant Spread.
AWESOME ~ Ate the whole first batch all by myself and now I’m making a double batch!
I have made this 3x in the last couple weeks. I love it in a piece of red leaf lettuce like a lettuce wrap. It is so good. I have all my family making it now. My kids think it is meat. Yummy!
Okay, this DOES work with zucchini. Actually, I think it works with any vegetables. We bought into a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) this year and each week we get a basket of produce. I never know what until I pick it up and some of the things I have never tried. So, I made this with zucchini, patty pan squash, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and onion. And followed your instructions. It’s great! Thanks.
Oh, thanks so much for reporting back! I’m so glad to know it works with zucchini! 🙂