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Slow-Baked Moroccan Eggplant with Ras el Hanout, caramelized garlic, shallots and tomatoes. A rustic side dish that can be served with fish or meat, or turned into a hearty vegetarian main. Serve with Basmati Rice or homemade Pita bread, and Tzatziki Sauce. (Allow 2 hours.). With a Video!
Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event. ~ Jung
Hi friends, here’s a flavorful Moroccan-inspired eggplant recipe I think you’ll savor. Long thin eggplant roast in the oven low and slow, with a copious amount of olive oil, until their centers are creamy and their edges are caramelized. Infused with Moroccan spices (a spice-blend call Ras El Hanout) that you can buy or make at home, your kitchen will smell amazing.
Slow roasting the eggplant in the oven for a couple of hours will yield meltingly tender eggplant while allowing one time to putter around the house and get other things done- perfect for lazy Sundays.;)
Serve this Moroccan Eggplant as a flavorful side dish to grilled meats or fish -or as a vegetarian main along with basmati rice, tzatziki or hummus and a fresh salad like Tabouli, this Chickpea Salad or even this Israeli Salad!
This recipe is best made with smaller, Japenese-style eggplant that is most easily found at the farmer’s market. I would even dare to say, the smaller the eggplant, the better the results!
Moroccan Eggplant Video
Ingredients for Slow-Bake Moroccan Eggplant:
- Japanese, Chinese or Fairytale Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Ras El Hanout (Moroccan Spice Blend) you can make this
- Garlic cloves
- Shallots
- Tomatoes
- Lemon zest
- Garnishes: olives, fresh dill, Italian parsley
Seek out long thin eggplants- Japanese, Chinese or Fairytale eggplant – these work the best here!
Today I used this lovely Villa Jerada Ras El Hanout – that we offer at our store, instead of making it myself – and either way works great.
You can also serve the meltingly tender eggplant in a toasty pita bread with tzatziki sauce for a quick and tasty lunch. One of my favorites!
I really love this Moroccan Eggplant paired with the tzatziki sauce– so tasty! Whether it’s in a sandwich or on the side, they are good together!
Make this on a day that you have ample time at home to cook without rushing.
Serve with:
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Grain-Free Moroccan Cauliflower Couscous
- Grilled Moroccan Chicken with Ras El Hanout
- Lemony Lebanese Tabouli (Tabbouleh)
- Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf)
Hope you enjoy!
Print
Meltingly Tender Moroccan Eggplant
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: side dish, vegetarian
- Method: baked, roasted
- Cuisine: moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Slow-Baked Moroccan Eggplant with Ras el Hanout, caramelized garlic, shallots and tomatoes. A rustic side dish that can be turned into a hearty vegetarian main. Serve with Basmati Rice or homemade Pita, and Tzatziki Sauce. (This makes a big batch, feel free to cut in half.)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant- Japanese, Chinese or fairytale
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 fat shallots, quartered
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ras el hanout or Villa Jerada Ras El Hanout
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (or sub fennel seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 medium tomatoes (or 1 lb cherry tomatoes), quartered
- large lemon zest pieces, from one lemon (use a veggie peeler or sharp knife)
Garnish: kalamata or Moroccan olives, Italian parsley, chili flakes ( like Aleppo or Urfa)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Cut eggplant in half lengthwise (or slices no thicker than 3/4 inch) and place in an ovenproof baking dish along with the whole garlic cloves and shallots.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, ras el hanout, and caraway seeds.
- Pour over the eggplant and toss well to coat. Cover with foil and bake 20 mins on the middle rack.
- After the first 20 minutes, lower heat to 350F and uncover.
- Add the tomatoes, zest and give a toss.
- Continue baking 50-75 minutes, uncovered, checking every 20 minutes, giving a gentle stir, until the eggplant is meltingly tender and creamy. Depending on the eggplant size, the time may vary. Please be patient here and check more often if eggplants are very small.
- Once the eggplant is very tender, and the edges are crisp, pull it out of the oven, cover lightly with foil until ready to serve. Garnish with the olives, fresh herbs and optional chili flakes. Serve warm or at room temp.
Notes
This Villa Jerada Ras El Hanout is absolutely amazing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 7.3 g
- Sodium: 444.8 mg
- Fat: 19.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.5 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: moroccan Eggplant, slow baked eggplant, baked eggplant, roasted eggplant, vegan eggplant recipe, eggplant side dish
This was delicious! I did not have ras el hanout, so I used shawarma spice blend that I already have in hand. Please do not skip the lemon peels, they really give that punch to the dish. Will make it again.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Sherry- glad you enjoyed it!
Hi can I make this a day ahead and either reheat is serve cold,
Yes, that should work fine!
I made your delicious eggplant chickpea tagging yesterday and would like to make melting tender Morocco eggplant but doubt I can find Japanese, Chinese or fairytale here in France. should I try normal eggplant? Is there a big difference in taste or cooking time
Hi Maud,I think flavor would be the same- I would make sure to cut into smaller pieces. 🙂
Thanks! You made my family very happy today. A great addition to celebrating my parents’ 84th birthdays!
★★★★★
Awww…. thansk Karen! Happy bday to your parents!
I love this recipe❤️!! Make it every few weeks.. it gets better and better over a couple of days…
Thanks so much- glad you are enjoying it!
Made this tonight for our vegan dinner and served with polenta and white beans, plus kale salad. It’s amazingly delicious. I couldn’t find Japanese eggplant so I used the large ones and sliced them about 5/8” thick. They never got crispy but they tasted very rich.
★★★★★
Oh great, Patty!
Delicious
★★★★★
Not wanting to nitpick, when I choose the metric version it says I need 907lbs of Aubergines. Probably not completely accurate
Sorry about that Neil- thanks for letting me know- all fixed. 😉
2 lbs would be 907 grams (metric)
I just made this, turned out wonderful! Thank you for the recipe! <3
Great Anna- thanks!
This so delicious one of the best eggplant recipes I have ever made. Thanks Sylvia!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed this Amy!
Hi Sylvia!
Tried this recipe and love the flavors but I’m curious about the amount of olive oil. I followed the instructions for cook time and I don’t have the best oven in the world but it felt like a lot of olive oil, there was still a good bit sitting in the bottom of the dish. Could I cut the amount of oil in half? Also curious what kind of olive oil you cook with at these temps. Do you have a brand you prefer?
Thanks for your help ❤️🙏🏼
Hi Anna, yes there is a lot of oil here and feel free to cut back.
Another winner! Made my own Ras el Hanout (from your recipe) & I used fairytale eggplants. Served rice and quinoa on the side. My tzatziki didn’t turn out great, but totally my fault as I forgot to buy cucumbers and fresh dill. Used vegan Greek yogurt. A vegan feast.
★★★★★
Awesome Mona!
I’ve made this several times and figured it was time to comment. So damn delicious! I look so forward to it EVERY meatless monday and the leftovers that follow. Usually with basmati rice topped with your tzatziki and a piece of toasty buttered naan. Absolute heaven!
Sounds perfect Melissa!
How small should I cut the tomatoes if I’m using early girl tomatoes?
Hi Deborah- quarter them? You want them about an inch thick at the widest part.
Can I make this in a tagine? If so, are you able to describe the basic steps?
Hi there, I have not used a tagine for this, so not sure of how to guide you- that being said, I’m sure it can be done!
Oh my gosh. This is so heavenly. I was weary of it after the 20 minute mark to add zest & tomatoes but…DAMN! The finished product? So yummy, satisfying & decadent. This will be on our roation. Your recipes NEVER let down.
★★★★★
Awesome Nicole!
Divine ! Like so much Middle Eastern food it is even better the day after you make it?!
★★★★★
Yes! Absolutely!
Fabulous dish! The flavors are melting wonderfully with the vegetables. I knew that I can’t take too much oil in my food so I eyeballed the amount of oil and used just enough to thoroughly coat the vegetables. That worked fine.
One of the things I love about this dish is that you can prepare it well in advance, so no pressure when company arrives!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed this Barbara!
Love this recipe, have been using it for months and it never disappoints! Any idea if it would freeze well?
Thanks so much for a delicious easy meal!
★★★★★
Glad you are enjoying this. I haven’t tried freezing this- but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work?
Such a wonderful recipe! I love it – even better cooled and reheated… I had no lemon so used preserved lemons which fitted right in with the Middle Eastern feel of the dish
★★★★★
Appreciate this!
I love this recipe – it is my go to for eggplant now.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed!
cooked this yesterday, absolutely delicious. i used some cayanne and ancho chillies, and garnished with greek olives. served it on pita with tzatziki sauce. five stars!!!
thanks laura!
Third time making this delicious eggplant dish. Excellent! A winner in my fam!
★★★★★
Awesome Josie!
Wonderful! I think that’s the best eggplant I’ve ever made. So good!
★★★★★
Great to hear!
Also delicious with Harissa!
Thank you; will try this since I love harissa!
★★★★★