Greek Eggplant Dip • Melitzanosalata

Name: Greek Eggplant Dip • Melitzanosalata
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants, washed and halved; 1/4 cup olive oil, or as needed; 1/3 cup red onions, roughly chopped; 3 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, packed plus more for garnish; 2 tbsp. fine breadcrumbs; 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes; ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste; freshly ground mixed peppercorns, to taste; 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tsp. lemon zest; 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish; 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup slices black olives, for garnish; 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

Author: Francine Lizotte

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Posted on Sep 23rd, 2025

by Francine Lizotte

My parents cooked with a wide variety of ingredients and spices. Unfortunately, they never used eggplants. It’s only when I went to a Greek restaurant for the first time that I discover this amazing fruit – yes, it’s a fruit – also known as aubergine. I ordered Moussaka and it was love at first bite 💖!

What I like about eggplant is it’s slightly sweet with a nutty flavor in the background while its texture is silky and creamy! It’s a great ingredient to add to recipes because its delicate flavor doesn’t overpower them. Another plus is it absorbs the seasonings, herbs 🍃, oils, and sauces.

Besides main dishes like Eggplant Rolatini, Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole, Eggplant Beef & Mushroom Pasta Bake, I also have a few eggplant appetizer recipes on the website 💻. There’s Moroccan Zaalouk, Caponata, Easy Baba Ghanoush, etc.

Here’s another one that is so versatile… my Greek Eggplant Dip called Melitzanosalata! Made with roasted aubergines, garlic, onions 🧅, parsley, lemon juice and oil along with spices, this dip is just fabulous! It can be enjoyed as a mezze (appetizer) with crusty bread or pita, or served along with grilled meats.

This recipe takes a little time to make but it’s so healthy 💚! After the eggplants are baked, they need to cool off before handling. Then, the flesh has to drain in a colander for half and hour. From there, it takes just 10 minutes to finish the dish.

Before baking the eggplants, it’s very important to poke their skins otherwise the steam cannot escape and gets trapped as they’re cooked flesh side down. What could happen is your eggplants can blow up 💣 in the oven… not so good!

After the cooking time is done, and cool off for a good 20 minutes so we can handle them 🍆, the flesh is scoop into a colander and the skins are discarded. To prevent ending up with a “wet” dip, it has to be drained for 30 minutes.

When these steps are done, making Greek Eggplant Dip • Melitzanosalata goes pretty fast ⏳. All the ingredients, except oil and roasted red peppers, are dropped in the bowl of a food processor. They’re pulsed a few times until slightly smooth before stirring them.

Just a quick note…
If you’re using Panko breadcrumbs, as you know, the texture is coarse. For this application, you need fine due to the damp texture of the mixture. To obtain 2 tablespoons 🥄 of it, simply double (4 tbsp.) the Panko breadcrumbs and process it in a spice grinder.

Back to the food processor…
The next step is to quickly pour in the oil while the appliance is running. Don’t let it go too long! The consistency we want to achieve is tiny chunks in the dip so don’t overdo it. Then comes the roasted red peppers which are pulsed into the mixture until JUST COMBINED 😉!

Diversity is fine and everyone likes their recipes a certain way, differently from another cook 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳. Like I mentioned, the way I like this dip is with tiny chunks in it, still spreadable but not as smooth as pâté. Like I always say – “adjust to your liking”.

I love this Greek Eggplant Dip • Melitzanosalata! It’s loaded with deliciousness! It can be enjoyed as a mezze (appetizer) next to tzatziki with crusty bread, crostini or pita, as a light plant-based meal, served as a side dish along with grilled meats 🥩, or even as a spread for sandwiches or wraps!
Bon Appétit! 🍽

Check out these other great dip recipes… 😀
– Mexican Smoky Corn Dip
– Six Layer Chip Dip
– Beer Cheese Dip
– Pumpernickel Spinach Dip
– Middle East Labneh
– Pizza Dip
– Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
– Sausalito Smoked Salmon Dip
– Olive Tapenade
and for even more international recipes 🌍, click on this link… Recipe Category • International

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