Za'atar Roasted Eggplant

I think eggplant is a severely underrated vegetable in the United States. When I travel abroad, I see it everywhere. But back at home, it doesn't receive the same kind of love. I guess I can't blame people though because it wasn't until recently when I myself started to really appreciate the vegetable. When roasted or braised, eggplant breaks down and becomes incredibly tender. Give it some life with spices and a creamy sauce and you transform eggplant into something entirely different. Hopefully, you'll agree with me when you try this za'atar roasted eggplant with fresh tomato salsa, feta yogurt sauce, toasted walnuts, and fresh parsley.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

I think the reason why a lot of people don't like eggplant is because of the texture. If you don't cook eggplant long enough, it's very spongey. Spongey eggplant? No thank you. But if you take the time and let it roast or braise, it softens up and changes completely. It's quite delicious.

Before we can cook the eggplant, we have to prepare it. Cut a large eggplant in half lengthwise. Then, use a sharp knife and score the flesh in a crisscross pattern, making sure not to cut through the skin.

Drizzle olive oil on the eggplant flesh and season it with garlic, za'atar, salt, and pepper. I used a premade za'atar spice mix but you can easily make your own. Just combine equal parts dried thyme, cumin, coriander, sesame seeds, and sumac and there you have it!

Pop the eggplant into the oven and roast it for 1 hour or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh.

While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients. Blend or pulse together yogurt with feta and lemon juice until smooth. Then, stir in the remaining ingredients including fresh dill, lemon zest, and garlic. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set it aside. You can prepare the sauce up to a day before.

Now, on to the fresh tomato salsa. I based this salsa on one that I had in Greece that was served with fried fish. It's such a simple condiment, just grated tomato, and olive oil, but it adds so much brightness to the za'atar roasted eggplant.

Since the tomato salsa relies heavily on sweet fresh tomatoes, I highly recommend making this dish during the summer. However, I won't blame you if you use off-peak tomatoes too! The tomato flavor may not as be pronounced but you'll still get that fresh quality.

Spread the feta yogurt sauce on a serving plate and place the hot eggplant on top. Spoon the fresh tomato salsa on the za'atar roasted eggplant and garnish with toasted walnuts, fresh parsley, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of Maldon salt.

If you thought eggplant was boring before, you need to try this za'atar roasted eggplant! There's a lot going on from the creamy sauce to the savory tender vegetable to bright acidic salsa to the toasted nuts, but they all work so well together. A tasty side dish or even entree!

For more eggplant inspiration check out this braised eggplant toast with garlic bean spread!