This easy tabbouleh (pilaf? casserole? whatever you want to call it?) is a perfect lunch option. It’s filled with creamy roasted eggplant and topped with pine nuts. Feel free to roast the nuts. And add a handful of fresh basil and tomatoes, if summer has them thriving in your garden.
Italian Roasted Eggplant Tabbouleh
- April 5, 2015
- Serves 6
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Ingredients
- -1 lg. eggplant, cut into 2-inch long strips
- -10 cloves garlic
- -Olive oil
- -1 lg. onion, diced
- -1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- -1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
- -2 heaping Tbsp. tomato paste
- -3 cups bulgur wheat (+ 7 cups water)
- -1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- -1/2 cup pine nuts
- -1/2 lemon, optional
- -Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and scatter eggplant strips and garlic on top. Drizzle with olive oil until lightly coated, and season with salt and pepper. Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway, until eggplant are soft and tender.
- Step 2
- Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a medium-large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion until golden brown. Add oregano, chili pepper flakes, generous pinch of salt, and tomato paste, and stir for one minute, until combined. Add bulgur wheat and water, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to a low simmer. Let cook 20-25 minutes, or until bulgur is soft and water is absorbed.
- Step 3
- When finished, stir in eggplant strips, garlic, and parsley. Adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Serve, topped with pine nuts, a spritz of fresh lemon, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
