Grilled Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes is a flavorful Mediterranean-inspired recipe. It's vegan, gluten-free, and healthy.

I've always enjoyed eggplant dishes in restaurants, but cooking the purple vegetable at home has never been my strong suit. The most successful way I've prepared it is by roasting it in the oven like when making Vegan Eggplant Pasta.

But now I realize I've been missing out on the easiest and, in my opinion, tastiest way to prepare eggplant. I'm talking about grilling it!

Eggplant

Eggplants, or aubergine, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are members of the nightshade family related to tomatoes and potatoes.

Did you know there are at least ten different varieties of this vegetable? Check out this guide to learn more about them.

I personally love the skinnier Japanese eggplant. They have fewer seeds than the larger Italian version, and I enjoy the texture when cooked. However, for this salad recipe, feel free to use whichever variety you prefer.

Eggplant is high in dietary fiber, vitamin B1 and copper. It's also a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, potassium, folate and vitamin K.

Grilling

Eggplants cook quickly on the grill. I like to slice them lengthwise, brush each side with a little oil and dusting of salt and pepper, and grill them on each side for about five minutes.

But don't worry if you don't have an outside grill. There are several other options for cooking your eggplant. You can prepare them on a grill pan on your stove top.

Or you can roast them in the oven until soft. And you can even make them in an air fryer like my friend Cadry does when she makes her Air Fryer Eggplant Dip.

Ingredients

Making Grilled Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes is really easy.

Once you've grilled the eggplants, let them rest until they are cool enough to handle. Then slice them into bite-size pieces.

The rest of the salad is very simple:

• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Tomatoes (I like to use cherry tomatoes)
• White wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil leaves
• Pine nuts

These traditional Mediterranean flavors are incredible with eggplant.

Serving suggestions

Enjoy Grilled Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes on its own or with other dishes. I love it for lunch. If you want, you can eat it with some grilled crusty bread.

And for dinner it's wonderful with simple dishes such as Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil. Or since the grill will already be hot, you could make some portobello mushroom steaks.

Not only is Grilled Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes delicious, it's also beautiful. I love colorful dishes since, as they say, we eat with our eyes first.

And eating plant-based dishes full of fruit and vegetables, legumes, and nuts makes our bodies happy on the inside, too!