Couscous Eggplant Recipe

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins

Ingredients

For Roasted Eggplants

2 large eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

For Spice Mix

¾ teaspoon all-spice mix
¾ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Filling

1 cup dry couscous (For gluten free option: Use cooked quinoa in place of couscous).
1 cup canned or cooked chickpeas drained
1 tomato (diced)
1 green onion (chopped)
Handful fresh parsley (finely chopped)

Tahini sauce

½ tsp salt
1-2 garlic cloves
¾ cup tahini paste (or use homemade roasted and finely ground sesame seed paste)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice)
¼ cup cold water

Cooking Instructions

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Season the flesh with kosher salt. Set aside, keeping the flesh side up, for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the eggplant to “drain the moisture” (for a crispier final outcome). Pat dry with a paper towel.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix together the spices (allspice, coriander, paprika, and ground cinnamon) in a small bowl.
Pat eggplant dry. Brush the flesh with extra virgin olive oil. Set aside about 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture and use the rest to season the eggplant like you do while marinating (rub the spice mixture all over the eggplant white flesh.)
Now place the eggplant halves on a generously oiled sheet pan with flesh side up. Bake in the heated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until the eggplant flesh is cooked and browned.
While the eggplant is roasting, heat a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Add the couscous and cook briefly, stirring regularly, until toasted. Add 1 cup of boiling water to the couscous and immediately remove from heat. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes until the couscous is cooked (it will double in size when cooked to perfection).
Fluff the couscous with a fork and season with a dash of salt and the 1 teaspoon of spice mixture you reserved earlier. Add chickpeas, green onions, chopped tomatoes, and parsley. Mix well to combine.
For tahini sauce, add crushed garlic cloves, salt (to taste), tahini paste and lime juice to the bowl of a food processor and blend (it will thicken as it emulsifies). Add a little bit of water and blend again until you reach the desired consistency.
To assemble the stuffed eggplant, arrange the roasted eggplant on a serving platter, flesh side up. With the back of a spoon, push the soft cooked flesh down to create a cavity for the couscous filling. Spoon in the couscous filling. Drizzle with the homemade tahini sauce. Enjoy!