Eggplant Salad
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Come fall in love with the flavors of this Greek Marinated Roasted Eggplant Salad! This copycat recipe comes from an eggplant salad I had in Santorini, Greece. It’s loaded with fresh vegetables, soaked in a delicious balsamic lemon dressing, with tons of flavorful Mediterranean herbs. This salad is easy to make and guaranteed to become your new favorite salad recipe!
Leave it to a food blogger to work on her honeymoon! But after one bite of this eggplant salad in Santorini, I knew I had to recreate it at home, so I busted out my phone and started taking notes on the flavors and ingredients in the salad.
This salad was part of a mezze platter at Triana Tavern in Santorini, Greece. A mezze platter is a Mediterranean dish that combines appetizers, dips and salads all on one plate. Kind of like the Greek version of a sampler platter in America, but with less fried things!
The mezze platter at Triana Tavern consisted of tzatziki dip, eggplant salad, spicy feta dip, Greek dolmades, fava dip, tomato balls and fried cheese, because you still need something fried to finish off the platter!
While everything on the platter was absolutely delicious, I quickly became obsessed with the eggplant salad. The only menu description was literally “eggplant salad”, so I had to go off of my notes, pictures and memory of the taste, to recreate this recipe at home.
Lucky for me (and you!) the recreation turned out EVEN BETTER than the original salad. Oh my gosh, the flavor ya’ll! I can’t quit making this salad. And I can’t wait for you to try it!
Ingredients
- Eggplant – you’ll want approximately 1 1/2 pounds of eggplant. This might be one large globe eggplant, like the one pictured above, or two smaller eggplants. I recommend weighing them on the scales at the grocery store so you’ll know that you have enough for the recipe.
- Bell peppers – I recommend a red and green bell pepper for a variety of color in the recipe, but you can use two red, or two green bell peppers, if you prefer.
- Olive oil – I recommend Greek extra-virgin olive oil, if you can find it. The flavors of Greek olive oil are grassier and more peppery than Italian olive oil, which tends to be lighter and fruiter. Either one will work just fine in this recipe, but the Greek extra virgin olive oil pairs particularly well with the herbs in this recipe. Greek olive oil may not be found at traditional grocery stores, but it is easy to find at Mediterranean markets and some specialty grocery stores, or you can order it online.
- Balsamic vinegar – when I first tasted this salad in Santorini, the balsamic vinegar really stood out as a strong flavor in the salad. I do not recommend any substitutions for this ingredient.
- Lemon juice – I always recommend fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
- Garlic cloves – I also recommend fresh crushed garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Fresh basil – a common herb found in Greek cooking, basil adds a fresh, sweet and aromatic note to this eggplant salad.
- Greek seasoning – click the link for my homemade recipe that combines 9 dried herbs and spices. It’s the perfect seasoning for this salad, and adds so much flavor to the balsamic marinade. If you don’t have the ingredients to make this seasoning at home, you can substitute in dried oregano and parsley, but it won’t have as much flavor as the Greek spice blend.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Roast the eggplant and peppers. Dice the eggplant and bell peppers into 1 inch cubes. Toss the eggplant and peppers with olive oil, then arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 450°F for 20 minutes.
- Marinate the roasted eggplant and peppers. While the vegetables are roasting, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, fresh chopped basil and Greek seasoning in a large bowl. When the eggplant and peppers come out of the oven, add them to the bowl and toss until they’re fully coated in the marinade.
- Refrigerate the salad. Place the salad in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or up to 24 hours. This gives the eggplant and peppers time to marinate in the delicious herbs and balsamic vinegar.
What to serve with it
This eggplant salad is delicious served as an appetizer, side dish, or part of a mezze platter.
To make a mezze platter, serve the salad with these recipes.
- Spicy Feta Dip
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Greek Dolmades – from My Greek Dish
- Fava Dip – from Gimme Some Oven
- Tomato Balls (tomatokeftedes) – from My Greek Dish
- Greek Meatballs
- Whipped Feta Dip
- Pita Bread
- Feta Cheese
- Vegetables – like sliced bell peppers, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
To serve the salad as an appetizer or side dish, pair it with these main dishes.
Recipe tips
- This recipe will stay good in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make it ahead, or store leftovers, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- This eggplant salad recipe is naturally vegan, gluten free and whole30 approved.
- You do not need to peel the eggplant before roasting, but you can if you want. The skin of the eggplant will soften as it’s roasted, so it does not need to be peeled.
- The eggplant and peppers can also be grilled instead of roasted. Simply dice the eggplant and peppers, toss them with olive oil, then place them on a vegetable grill pan. Grill over medium heat, tossing throughout the cooking time, for 8-10 minutes.
More salad recipes
Add these other flavorful salad recipes to your menu this week!
Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds eggplant, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 green bell pepper, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning, click link for the recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Toss the diced eggplant and bell peppers with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Arrange the eggplant and peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet, and into the oven for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, chopped basil and Greek seasoning.
- When the eggplant and peppers come out of the oven, add them to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat.
- Cover and place the salad in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or up to 24 hours, to marinate before serving.
Notes
- To replace the Greek seasoning, you can combine 1 tablespoon dried oregano and 1 tablespoon dried parsley. It won’t be as flavorful as the Greek seasoning, but it will work in a pinch!
- This recipe will stay good in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make it ahead, or store leftovers, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- This eggplant salad recipe is naturally vegan, gluten free and whole30 approved.
Nutrition Facts
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