Eggplant & Tomato Salad with Tahini, Pistachio, and Pomegranate
Step 0
A warm, smoky eggplant and blistered tomato salad built on a quick honey-vinegar dressing, finished with tahini, herbs, pistachio, and pomegranate. Big flavor, simple steps, and easy to scale.
Step 1
Ingredients for eggplant and tomato salad
- Garlic, cooked 10 cloves (30.0 g)
- Eggplant, cooked 2 medium (1080.0 g)
- Tomato (raw, mixed types) 500 g
- Honey 1 tbsp (21.2 g)
- Red wine vinegar 2 tbsp (29.9 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp (40.5 g)
- Tahini 1 tbsp (15.0 g)
- Lemon juice 1 wedge (5.9 g)
- Pistachios, raw 1 oz (28.3 g)
- Pomegranate 1 each (282.0 g)
- Mint, fresh 1 tbsp (5.7 g)
- Dill weed, dried 2 tbsp (6.2 g)
- Parsley, fresh 2 tbsp (7.5 g)
Step 2
How to make the salad
- Prep your veg. Rinse the eggplants and tomatoes. Pat dry. Keep tomatoes whole if small, or halve larger ones for faster blistering.
- Cook the garlic until soft. Cook the garlic (skin on if you like), until you can squeeze it into a paste. Set aside.
- Char and soften the eggplant. Cook eggplants over high heat until the skin is deeply browned and the inside is fully soft. Cool slightly, then peel away the charred skin and pull the flesh into long strands.
- Blister the tomatoes. Quickly cook tomatoes on high heat until the skins start to split and they look lightly blistered, but still hold shape.
- Make the dressing. In a bowl or heatproof tray, whisk honey + red wine vinegar + olive oil. Stir in the garlic paste and lemon juice.
- Warm everything through. Toss tomatoes into the dressing to soak up flavor. Add the shredded eggplant and gently fold so you keep texture.
- Finish. Drizzle tahini over the top. Sprinkle pistachios, pomegranate seeds, mint, dill, and parsley. Serve warm or room temp.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Best flavor after 30–60 min resting time. Add herbs on top just before serving for the freshest finish.
Step 3
Health-oriented chef cues
- Fat profile check: This recipe’s fats are mostly unsaturated (olive oil, tahini, pistachio). That is typically a better trade than pushing lots of butter or cream into the same calorie budget.
- Lower total fat option: Reduce olive oil from 3 tbsp to 2 tbsp. Use a splash of vinegar plus a spoon of warm water to keep the dressing pourable, then lean on garlic, char, and herbs for satisfaction.
- Lower saturated fat: Saturated fat is already modest here (0.47 g per 100 g). To keep it low when scaling, avoid adding dairy-based extras and keep the fat sources plant-based.
- Calorie steering: Nuts and tahini are nutrient-dense but calorie-dense. If you are cutting calories, keep pistachio as a garnish (crush and sprinkle) and drizzle tahini lightly instead of pooling it.
- Fiber and fullness: Eggplant and tomatoes provide volume with relatively low calories (70.54 kcal per 100 g). Keeping the eggplant pulled into strands slows eating and helps satiety.
- Sugar awareness: The honey is small but measurable (added sugars listed). If you want it less sweet, halve the honey and replace the missing “body” with extra tomato blister juices and a bit more vinegar.
- Micronutrient angle: You get a nice hit of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, plus minerals like potassium and copper, especially when you keep herbs generous.
Note: If you change olive oil, tahini, pistachio, or honey amounts, the nutrition values shown below will no longer be exact.
Nutrition facts and macros
Macros & Calories
per 100 g
Calories
70.54 kcal
- Saturates: 0.47 g
- Sugars: 5.31 g
- Fiber: 2.43 g
- Salt: 0.00 g
See full macronutrient table (per 100 g)
| Nutrient | Amount | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 295.33 kJ / 70.54 kcal | |
| Fat | 3.41 g | |
| Saturated | 0.47 g | |
| Monounsaturated | 1.97 g | |
| Polyunsaturated | 0.68 g | |
| Carbohydrate | 10.10 g | |
| Sugars | 5.31 g | |
| Starch | 0.77 g | |
| Fiber | 2.43 g | |
| Protein | 1.49 g | |
| Salt | 0.00 g | |
| Sodium | 3.99 mg |
Carbohydrates breakdown
| Nutrient | Amount | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Total Carbs | 10.10 g | |
| Fiber | 2.43 g | |
| Starch | 0.77 g | |
| Sugars | 5.31 g | |
| Fructose | 2.38 g | |
| Glucose | 2.52 g | |
| Sucrose | 0.29 g | |
| Lactose | <0.01 g | |
| Maltose | 0.02 g | |
| Added Sugars | 0.85 g | |
| Sugar Alcohol | 0.12 g | |
| Net Carbs | 7.55 g |
Fat (lipids) breakdown
| Nutrient | Amount | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | 3.41 g | |
| Monounsaturated | 1.97 g | |
| Polyunsaturated | 0.68 g | |
| Omega-3 | 0.03 g | |
| Omega-6 | 0.59 g | |
| Saturated | 0.47 g | |
| Trans-Fats | <0.01 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0.00 mg |
Protein (amino acid) breakdown
| Amino acid | Amount | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1.49 g | |
| Alanine | 0.07 g | |
| Arginine | 0.11 g | |
| Aspartic acid | 0.18 g | |
| Cystine | 0.02 g | |
| Glutamic acid | 0.32 g | |
| Glycine | 0.06 g | |
| Histidine | 0.03 g | |
| Isoleucine | 0.05 g | |
| Leucine | 0.08 g | |
| Lysine | 0.07 g | |
| Methionine | 0.02 g | |
| Phenylalanine | 0.06 g | |
| Proline | 0.07 g | |
| Serine | 0.07 g | |
| Threonine | 0.05 g | |
| Tryptophan | 0.01 g | |
| Tyrosine | 0.03 g | |
| Valine | 0.07 g |
Key Micronutrients
top 15 by % RI, per 100 g
See full micronutrient table (per 100 g)
| Nutrient | Amount | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 6.44 mg | |
| Vitamin A | 14.55 µg | |
| Vitamin D | 0.00 IU (≈0.00 µg) | |
| Vitamin E | 0.80 mg | |
| Vitamin K | 20.11 µg | |
| B1 (Thiamine) | 0.08 mg | |
| B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.03 mg | |
| B3 (Niacin) | 0.59 mg | |
| B5 (Pantothenic Acid) | 0.14 mg | |
| B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.13 mg | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.00 µg | |
| Biotin | 0.17 µg | |
| Choline | 9.53 mg | |
| Folate | 18.71 µg | |
| Calcium | 18.71 mg | |
| Iron | 0.59 mg | |
| Magnesium | 16.43 mg | |
| Phosphorus | 35.29 mg | |
| Potassium | 191.54 mg | |
| Zinc | 0.26 mg | |
| Copper | 0.10 mg | |
| Manganese | 0.17 mg | |
| Selenium | 1.02 µg | |
| Iodine | 0.18 µg | |
| Sodium | 3.99 mg |
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Wash and prep
Wash the eggplants and tomatoes. Pat dry so they blister and char properly. Set up a tray for finished veg and a bowl for the dressing.
Step 2: Cook garlic
Cook the garlic until soft enough to mash. Squeeze or spoon it out and mash into a paste.
Step 3: Cook eggplant
Cook the eggplants over high heat until the skin is deeply browned and the inside is fully soft. Cool a bit, peel away the skin, then pull the flesh into strands.
Step 4: Blister tomatoes
Cook the tomatoes quickly over high heat until lightly blistered. You want sweetness and a bit of smoke without turning them into sauce.
Step 5: Make dressing
Whisk 21.2 g honey, 29.9 g red wine vinegar, and 40.5 g olive oil. Stir in the garlic paste and 5.9 g lemon juice.
Step 6: Toss and finish
Fold the eggplant and tomatoes into the dressing. Drizzle 15.0 g tahini on top. Add 28.3 g pistachios, 282.0 g pomegranate seeds, plus mint, dill, and parsley.
Eggplant and tomato salad FAQs
- Can I make it without a grill?
- Yes. Roast eggplant until very soft, then finish under a broiler for color. Blister tomatoes in a hot pan or under the broiler.
- How do I reduce the fat without losing flavor?
- Use 2 tbsp olive oil instead of 3 tbsp, and thin the dressing with a spoon of warm water and extra vinegar. Keep the char and herbs generous.
- Is this salty?
- As logged, salt is 0.00 g per 100 g. If you add salt to taste, the sodium and salt values will increase.
- Can I prep ahead?
- Yes. Cook the eggplant and tomatoes ahead, then add fresh herbs and crunchy toppings right before serving.
