Roasted eggplant gives this vegan pesto a hint of smoky flavor while sun-dried tomatoes add a bright, tangy spark of flavor.
This week on the FatFreeVegan Facebook page, I’ve been offering my suggestions for Fourth of July dishes–salads that transport well, veggie burgers you can make ahead and heat on the grill, etc. You can add a pasta salad tossed with this aromatic pesto to the list of foods you can bring and that everyone–vegan and non-vegan, health enthusiasts and hedonists–will enjoy.
Traditional pesto combines basil with olive oil and, often, cheese, and vegan versions usually replace the cheese with nuts but keep the olive oil. As an oil-free vegan (OFV), I’m constantly looking for new ways to get the zesty basil and garlic flavor of pesto without the olive oil. I’ve made pesto with silken tofu, asparagus, white beans, and artichokes instead of oil with varying levels of success (asparagus is the prettiest, artichoke is the least flavorful), but I think I’ve hit on a new favorite.
Though not the most attractive oil-alternative, roasted eggplant gives this pesto a hint of smoky flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients and makes a sauce whose consistency is more like traditional pesto than any of my other versions. Ground almonds and a little nutritional yeast supply a hint of cheesiness, and sun-dried tomatoes add a bright, tangy spark of flavor.
The recipe makes a good bit, so plan to use it for several days in different ways. Add it to pasta and toss in fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables for a delicious pasta salad that you can serve cold or at room temperature.
It’s also a delicious spread for bread; spread it on a hearty whole-grain bread as a substitute for garlic bread or to perk up a sandwich (try it with Italian sausages–you will not be disappointed!) And this may sound odd, but I tossed a little with some chickpeas for a tasty, albeit messy, snack. A little goes a long way, so don’t be afraid to freeze the leftovers for later use.
Roasted Eggplant Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/4 cup whole raw almonds
- 2 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups basil leaves , lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- salt to taste
Instructions
To Do Ahead:
- Preheat oven to 400F. Trim off and discard the stem end of eggplant and cut in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Pierce the backs of the eggplant with a fork in a few places. Bake until completely soft and somewhat collapsed, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- At least 2 hours before using (and up to overnight), place almonds in a bowl and cover completely with water. Allow to soak at room temperature. Drain water before using.
Just Before Serving:
- Put the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic into food processor and pulse to chop. Peel the eggplant and add it, the basil, and the nutritional yeast to the processor and process to a coarse puree. Add salt to taste and pulse to blend.
- Add a tablespoon to a serving of warm pasta (if the pesto is too thick to easily coat the pasta, add a little hot water to it), or use as a spread for bread or a dip for crackers or vegetables. Store in a covered container. For best color, either press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the exposed surface or spray with a light film of olive oil.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Jenny
That looks yummy. My son wants to buy an eggplant every single time we are at the grocery store. I usually say “no” because I’m not very good at using them. Or if I buy them, they go bad. This would be the perfect way to use one for me.
Maria
Bless you! My CSA basket had an eggplant, and a boatload of basil. While I had some ideas for the basil, I was at a loss as to what to do with the eggplant. Thanks for the timely rescue.
Sandra
Yes, I will stop wondering what I am going to do with this eggplant I have had for a week. I think I will put it on pizza dough and layer sliced vegetables over it! Thanks!
Kricky
Sandra, did you ever try this on pizza?
Erin
This sounds delicious! I never know what to do with eggplants from my CSA.
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan
Oh, this looks DELICIOUS! I love the romesco-esque touch of the ground almonds. Yum!!
Chupa Babi
Susan – another winner for the pesto file. May I share this with my yahoo! (with attribution of course)?
Jacqueline
Mmmmmmmmmmm, lovely, although I would probably overload the pasta with it, it looks lush 🙂
Tiffany
Uh YUM. I would not have thought to use eggplant in pesto, but clearly I’m loving the idea. Thanks for sharing!
moonwatcher
This sounds wonderful, Susan! I will look forward to trying it. Happy Fourth!
xo
moonwatcher
Stefanie
This looks and sounds really good. Is there an alternative to the basil? I’m not a big basil fan but may have to give it a try anyway. Thank you. 🙂
Kara
This is a very tasty way to spice up pasta. My husband and I like a little kick to our pasta and don’t like nutritional yeast, so here is how I modified your excellent recipe for eggplant pesto. Instead of almonds, I substituted ~ 2 Tbsp of toasted pine nuts, added some dried red pepper flakes, and 4 cloves of garlic. A whir in the blender with the roasted eggplant and basil, then tossed it with pasta. For our tastes, we like a little more pesto than pasta and so the 8 servings were really 4.
Ellen @ I Am Gluten Free
What great 4th of July picnic fare! I bet it’s delicious cold. I’m thinking about slathering over roasted potatoes or making cold potato salad. What do you think? Thanks for the great recipe! And it’s gluten free, to boot!
SusanV
I think either of those ideas would be delicious. Happy 4th!
Ann
Awsome I have a ton of eggplant from my garden I was trying to find something new to do with. If nothing else I can make this and freeze it.
Leila
This looks absolutely delicious! I love eggplant and basil. I’ll have to try this! I’ll bet it’s incredible on pizza too.
I recently used a few tablespoons of soy yogurt in lieu of oil to make my lower-fat vegan pesto creamier. That worked well too and didn’t hugely change the flavor profile. The recipe is on my blog right now.
Cara
I make an almost-fat-free pesto using fresh tomatoes in place of the oil (along with basil, garlic, a small amount of toasted pine nuts, and a splash of lemon juice.) But I love eggplant so I’m interested in trying this spin too!
Stephanie
Awesome recipe! This is a great alternative to pesto made with oil. I added a few more sundried tomatoes and used it to sauce spaghetti squash. I also used it as a spread on bread and I can see how spreading it in a cracker would make an excellent snack! Susan, you’ve done it again!
The serving size rang true with me (and I’m a big eater) so the caloric information is accurate for a meal.
Thanks again for all of your wonderful oil free vegan recipes!
Stacey@http://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/
I could think of so many ways to use this pesto, yum.
Kip
Looks delicious! Aubergine is one of my favourite vegetables and aubergine pestos I have in the past have been fabulous. Will def give this a go!
BlessedMama
Sounds great – I love recipes that make a lot of food that I can reuse in leftovers. Thanks for the ideas.
kitchenetta
Sounds just delicious! I’ll be trying this soon.
Scrumptious
This looks fabulous! I love all kinds of things made with roasted eggplant, like caponata and eggplant caviar. I will definitely be bookmarking this to make in the future. I’ve also never roasted eggplant without oil, so this is quite inspiring!
Lea
I made this today and toasted up some ciabatta bread to spread it on. I didn’t use sundried tomatoes and it was still yummy! Do you think I can freeze some of this, since I’m the only one in the house that will eat it?
SusanV
I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well. Glad you enjoyed it!
Farnoosh
Finishing up Day 5 of being vegan and your website has been a fabulous find. I can’t WAIT to try this fantastic recipe, thank you so much!!!
Please keep it up, I’ll be back for more! 🙂
ronelmarin.net
oh my goodness im craving for it now..throw me some here..:) thanks for the recipe ..:)
Maija Haavisto
Could there be a better vehicle for eggplant than baba ghanoush? I have my doubts whether anything can overtake the match made in heaven, but I’m willing to develop a new love affair! At least it has everything good – eggplant, almonds, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
(And some day, my picky omnivore partner WILL eat eggplant!)
I wonder if you ever add balsamic vinegar to your pesto? It’s an idea I got from some vegan cookbook (Vegan Brunch I think?) and IMO it works well.
Trudy ~ veggie num num
I adore roasted eggplant and this recipe looks like a wonderful simple way to enjoy it’s lovely smoky flavour… it really doesn’t need oil does it.. I usually just roast the eggplant whole in the oven and it turns out so soft and full of flavour.. perfect for use in so many dishes… will be trying this for sure mmmm pesto and vegan YUM!
Dana Zia
Already printed it out and am going to make it as soon as I can get my hands on an eggplant! Looks divine! Your photography is amazing! Stunning! Great job. Thanks for sharing.
Karina
I adore eggplant tapenade- and like your idea of adding almonds to roasted eggplant to make a pesto. Brilliant. I’ll be trying this! Thanks, Susan.
Lippy
I guess I don’t much see the point in taking out a heart-healthy fat in exchange for the nutrionally-vague eggplant. I’d also swap out the almonds for walnuts, lightly toasted in a skillet. But that’s just me.
SusanV
There’s nothing heart-healthy about olive oil, quite the opposite. And at least eggplant is a whole food.
veghunter
hey great blog, enjoyed looking around. recently started my own if you would like take a look at http://www.veghunter.wordpress.com
keep up the great work!
Maureen
I cannot wait to try this! I’m about to have more eggplant (from the garden) than I know what to do with!
katie
Thanks so much for this recipe! I had a housewarming party and made this as a dip and it was a HUGE hit!!! And NO ONE believed me that it was vegan and so low in fat and calories!! I’m already getting ready to make another batch to leave in my refrigerator as a snack 🙂
Angela
Just made this for lunch-YUMMY!!
and I forgot to soak the almonds but still
deeelisiocio!!
I really love your blog-I’m not even vegan but I my friends
are. I always go to your blog for receipes so I can see what I can
cook for my friends. So thank you!!!
JoLynn-dreaminitvegan
This looks wonderful!
babymama
Thanks for posting an oil-free recipe.
I am in transition to become a vegan especially for the health benefits.
It doesn’t make sense to me to switch diet if i am still eating badly incorporating oil in every single dishes.
And it is not going to get me back in shape after the birth of my son three months ago. I am presently following Dr. Furhman Eat to Live diet.He advocates the less oil as possible. There is a few recipes. I got lucky today to fall on your blog. It makes it easy to keep going on a heart-healthy diet.
I cannot wait to see the changes a vegan oil-free diet will do to my silhouette and my energy level.
Will try your eggplant pesto soon.
Cheers!
helen
This sounds great! Any estimation as to the total amount the recipe made? Are you considering 1 tbsp as a serving, therefore yielding 1/2 cup?
SusanV
It will really depend on the size of the eggplant you use, but when I made it, the whole recipe yielded around 2 cups, so a serving was about 1/4 cup.
lani
susan, that kind of information is really helpful . In creating recipes, it helps to say if serves 6 =1.25 cups or 2 cups etc..Perhaps you could add in future recipes
Susan Voisin
The problem is, the info would be inaccurate. No matter how many cups it comes out to be when I make it, it would be different for everyone else making the recipe. Produce size varies and just cooking something for a different amount of time creates more or less liquid volume. People ask all the time for the exact amount a recipe makes, but I don’t provide it because it would be a very inaccurate estimate.