Did you know that eggplant is a fruit?? I know. SHOCKED. Who knew?? Or maybe I’m the last to know. Here I am all proud of myself for eating a veggie-loaded meal for dinner and it turns out it’s a FRUIT. What?
Well, it’ll always be a veggie in my heart. Especially since it’s loaded with fiber, vitamin B, folate, and all kinds of nutrition! (Not that that’s what makes a veggie a veggie…but you know what I mean!)
Combine it with roasted chicken, wholesome lentils, and savory harissa sauce and you’ve got yourself a tasty and nourishing dinner meal! And since pregnancy has had me craving all the things (ahem, bad-for-you things…), these Roasted Harissa Eggplant Halves were a total win for me. 😉
I love how easy these Roasted Harissa Eggplant Halves are to make!
For this recipe, I used a pre-roasted chicken that I had made earlier in the week. You can do this by following this recipe or simply buying a roasted chicken at the store (and anyway, they always smell SO good)! I also used pre-made harissa sauce to speed things up a little. Another option is to use microwavable lentils to make this recipe a little bit easier (but if you don’t, lentils are SUPER easy to make, so no worries)!
Roasted Harissa Eggplant Halves
Ingredients
- 3 eggplants, halved
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 Tbsp harissa sauce
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked ((about 8 oz.))
- 1 cup lentils, cooked ((about 1/2 cup dry))
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander, ground
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup dairy-free yogurt, plain
- salt/pepper
- fresh parsley ((optional))
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut each eggplant in half and cut lines into the flesh side of each one.
- Brush 2 Tbsp olive oil and the harissa sauce evenly over the eggplant halves and place each eggplant cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Brush the remaining olive oil over the flesh side of the halves and place back in the oven (cut side down) for another 15 minutes (or until soft).
- While the eggplant is roasting, mix the cooked lentils with the spices.
- Remove the eggplant halves from the oven and top each one with dairy free yogurt, cooked chicken, cooked lentils, salt, pepper, and parsley (optional).
- Serve and enjoy!
afracooking says:
Really like this – first time I made only the aubergine without the topping (was going for low carb). Had it with chicken drumsticks, green beans and tahini yoghurt. Great!! Next time I will make the lentil topping. Thanks for this great addition to my weeknight routine!
Christine McMichael replied:
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 That sounds delicious. Love that this has made your weeknight menu!
Jessica Levinson says:
This is such an easy dinner! Perfect for busy weeknights when you need healthy AND easy!
Alisa Fleming says:
It will always be a veggie in my book, too! And this looks like a delicious way to enjoy eggplant. My husband has finally warmed up to this “fruit” so I’ll need to try this recipe out on him.
Deryn says:
I had no idea eggplant was a fruit, Lol! I don’t cook with it very often but I do love the miso eggplant from My New Roots and this is kinda similar with different flavours. I’ve never made harissa so I’d love to try this, sounds so good!!
Carla says:
Okaaaay. It never fails to shock people but I have never ever eaten egg plant. I don’t know why. I’ve seen it before and opted out 🙂 but I look at this and think: it just might be time!!!