Baked Eggplant, Chickpeas, And Green Chile

Baked Eggplant, Chickpeas, And Green Chile
3.7 from 3 ratings
Baked eggplant, gently cooked tomatoes, plenty of spices, and chickpeas are baked together, and served sprinkled with refreshing herbs and crunchy pomegranate seeds.This recipe is courtesy of Meat Free Week.
Servings
4
servings
Eggplant Casserole
Ingredients
  • 3 eggplants, cut lengthways into 1 cm-thick slices
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 teaspoon garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 green chile, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 400 gram canned chopped tomatoes
  • 400 gram canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt, place in a colander, and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry with paper towel.
  3. Place two large skillets over medium-high heat. Lightly brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil. Add a single layer of eggplant to each pan and fry for 4-6 minutes on both sides, until well browned. Set aside and repeat with the remaining slices.
  4. Return one skillet to the heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chile, paprika, and cumin, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and pomegranate molasses. Mix together and season well with salt and black pepper.
  5. Place half the eggplant slices in a medium casserole dish. Pour half the tomato mixture over the top, cover with the remaining eggplant, and finally pour over the remaining tomato.
  6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  7. Serve topped with the parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, and sea salt.