Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Lemon Tahini

Name: Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Lemon Tahini
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds eggplant ((about 2 medium), cut into 1/2-inch dice); 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, (halved); 15 ounce can chickpeas, (drained and rinsed); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1-2 cups baby arugula; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 1/3 cup tahini; 1 garlic clove, (minced); Juice of 1/2 lemon; Pinch of kosher salt; 3-4 tablespoons water

By Paige Adams

on Aug 26, 2019, Updated Aug 25, 2024

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For this easy eggplant recipe, I roast diced eggplant with cherry tomatoes and chickpeas on the same sheet pan. While they’re in the oven, I quickly whisk together a tahini sauce with fresh lemon juice and minced garlic. Finally, I toss the roasted eggplant, tomatoes and crispy chickpeas with baby arugula and fresh herbs and drizzle on the sauce. This is a tasty vegan side dish that goes wonderfully with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors.

Roasted eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas drizzled with lemon tahini sauce on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The Ingredients
How To Roast Eggplant with Tomatoes & Chickpeas
Serving
Leftovers & Storage
Recipe Tips
More Eggplant Recipes
Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Lemon Tahini Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It is so much more than a roasted eggplant recipe. Roasted tomatoes add their bright, distinct flavor, while chickpeas give the overall dish good crunch. I also toss in baby arugula for freshness and its peppery bite.

The tahini sauce is a simple finishing touch. It’s just a mix of tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, water and a pinch of salt. Eggplant and nutty tahini are fantastic together.

This feels like a very complete side dish. Of course, there is nothing wrong with keeping it simple with a single vegetable roasted side, but here you can take advantage of every inch of the baking sheet and also include cherry tomatoes and chickpeas.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, tahini, lemon, parsley, salt and pepper.

This is what you need:

For vegetables:

Eggplant: When I roast eggplant, I don’t bother salting it like I would if I were sautéing it. You can go ahead and toss it with the tomatoes and chickpeas in oil, salt and pepper right on the sheet pan. Look for eggplant with shiny, taut skin. It should feel heavy for its size.
Tomatoes: I use halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. These small varieties hold their shape when you mix them with the rest of the ingredients on the pan.
Chickpeas: The recipe call for a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. It is up to you if you want to take the time to pull the skins off the chickpeas.
Arugula: After the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas finish roasting, I add baby arugula.
Parsley: Besides leafy greens, I also finish the veggies and chickpeas with chopped fresh herbs.
Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for roasting.
Kosher salt & black pepper season the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas before you roast them.

For sauce:

Tahini: This sesame seed paste is more than just a key ingredient hummus. I think of it as a must-have condiment. It has incredible nutty flavor that works well in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.
Lemon juice: Never use citrus juice from a bottle. Squeezing a lemon is best.
Garlic: The sauce has 1 minced garlic clove.
Kosher salt: I just add pinch. It is basically an on-switch for all the ingredients.
Water thins out the sauce to make it a consistency that you can drizzle over the roasted eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas.

How To Roast Eggplant with Tomatoes & Chickpeas

1. Toss the cubed eggplant, halved tomatoes and chickpeas with oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan. Arrange them, so they are in a single layer with the tomatoes cut side up.

2. Roast the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas. The eggplant should be lightly browned on the edges and tender and creamy in the middle. The tomatoes should be wrinkled, but still a bit juicy, and the chickpeas should be golden and crisp. This will take about 25-30 minutes.

Eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas on a sheet pan before and after you roast them.

3. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and water. It should be thick but pourable.

4. Toss the roasted vegetables with arugula and parsley.

Lemon tahini sauce in a small bowl. Roasted eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas tossed with arugula on a sheet pan.

5. Drizzle with the tahini sauce.

Serving

This roasted eggplant recipe is one of those simple summer to early fall sides that you can pair with a grilled or roasted protein like chicken or fish. You can also turn it into a vegan main dish, by combining it with cooked grains like this herby lemon quinoa.

Leftovers & Storage

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 350-degree F oven or in the microwave. It does help to plan ahead, if you know you aren’t going to eat the entire recipe, wait to toss that portion with the arugula and tahini sauce until after you warm it.

Keep the tahini sauce in a separate mason jar or another container. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and give it a good stir before you serve it. You can also eat leftovers cold like a salad, and just add more baby arugula.

Eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas drizzled with lemon tahini sauce on a plate.

Recipe Tips

With all these ingredients, the eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas will be very close together on the baking sheet. Scoot them around as needed to put them into a single layer.

You don’t need to line the sheet pan. I like when vegetables make direct contact with the metal, so they brown better.

You may need to add more water to the tahini sauce to get it to the right consistency. Add a teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition.