Eggplant Dip with Roasted Red Pepper

I absolutely love this delicious plant-based veggie dip. We’ve been making this roasted eggplant and red pepper dip for at least 10 years and we never seem to grow tired of it. It’s just that good! Plus this is another kid favorite, my three-year-old just likes to scoop it up with his hand and eat it.

This is a variation of a classic Spanish tapas dip. Hence the paprika deliciousness. Roasted eggplant and red pepper dip is super flavorful, it’s loaded with garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon, and cilantro. Yum! I really like to load up on the lemon juice to make this more acidic. It balances out the sweetness of the red pepper without adding a ton of salt. One of the best things about this dip is that it is entirely plant-based, just veggies, spices, and herbs. That’s it. Just simply delicious.

There are so many ways to use this roasted eggplant and red pepper dip. You can eat it as a snack with some pita bread, use it as a sandwich spread, or throw it on top of some tacos. The possibilities are endless, go crazy! I like to make a big batch up to use for the week.

Red Bell Peppers – Load Up on Some Vitamin C

Did you know that red bell peppers have more vitamin C than oranges? One medium-sized red bell pepper contains 169% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin C. Plus they contain a bunch of other vitamins and antioxidants. Yup, that’s right, time to much on some peppers.

Roasting Veggies

Roasting vegetables is not hard, it just requires a little bit of prep time. This is a great dip to make in the cooler months when you’re a-okay having your oven on for a while. If I’m craving this in the summer I will roast the veggies on the grill to keep the heat outside.

To roast the veggies I cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush some olive oil all over it. Poke some holes in the red pepper, using a fork to let any air out as it cooks. Brush olive oil all over the red pepper as well. You don’t need very much, just enough to keep things from sticking. Put the eggplant and red pepper in the oven, on a silicone baking sheet, at 350° for about 40 minutes.

After you pull the eggplant and red pepper out of the oven, immediately place a damp towel over the veggies to help steam off the skin. Leave the towel on until the veggies have cooled enough to handle.

Lastly, peel the skin off the veggies. I find it easiest to scoop the eggplant out of the skin using a spoon. To peel the skin off the red pepper I look for areas where it is already peeling and pull them off. It’s kind of like peeling off the stickers your kids leave everywhere around the house. If you can’t get all of the skin off the red pepper that’s totally fine, just aim for as much as possible. After the skin is peeled, remove the seeds from the red pepper and chop it into big chunks. Roughly chop the eggplant as well. There you have it, roasted veggies, all ready to go and the rest is easy peasy! Hop on down to the recipe below it’s time to get cooking!

Eggplant Dip with Roasted Red Pepper

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5 from 4 reviews

This eggplant dip with red pepper is a super flavorful plant-based dip. Made from eggplant, red peppers, garlic, cumin, paprika, fresh cilantro, and lemon. This dip is great with pita chips or you can use it as a spread. Tasty stuff!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: Snacks
• Cuisine: Plant-based
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 lemon (zest and lemon juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon of paprika
• A handful of fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Cut the eggplant in half and place both halves on a silicone baking sheet.
3. With a fork, poke a couple of holes in the red pepper. Place it on the silicone baking sheet.
4. Using a basting brush lightly coat the eggplant and red pepper with olive oil. Then pop them in the oven for 40 minutes.
5. When you pull the eggplant and red pepper out of the oven. Immediately cover the veggies with a damp towel. Keep the towel over the veggies until they have cooled enough to handle. Covering the veggies with a towel helps to release the skins.
6. Add the remaining olive oil (about half a tablespoon) to a saute pan.
7. Once cooled, scoop the eggplant flesh out of the skin. Cut the eggplant into large chunks and add it to the saute pan. Crank the heat on the saute pan up to medium-high.
8. Use your hands to peel the skin from the red peppers. Remove the seeds and chop the red pepper into large chunks. Add the red pepper to the saute pan.
9. Add the smashed garlic, cumin, and paprika to the saute pan and mix all that goodness up with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes.
10. Transfer eggplant and red pepper mixture to a blender or food processor. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and salt. Blend until everything is incorporated. It doesn’t need to be super smooth, just mixed. Ta-da, it’s ready to eat!

Notes

Serve warm or chilled. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.