Mediterranean Eggplant Chickpea Salad

Mediterranean Eggplant Chickpea Salad features tomatoes, pine nuts, and fresh basil in a simple vinaigrette. It's made with thin, quick-cooking Japanese eggplant that are grilled to bring out their sweet flavor. Easy to prepare in under half an hour, this hearty summer salad is perfect for picnics, barbecues, and delicious meals any day of the week.

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 meatless 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! In fact, eggplant is one of my favorite vegan grilled foods.

If you enjoy summery Mediterranean-inspired salads like grilled corn and tomato salad and cucumber and tomato chickpea salad, this Eggplant Chickpea Salad is the recipe for you.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Variations
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Storing
• Recipe FAQs
• More vegan chickpea salads
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

Eggplants, known as aubergine in some countries, 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 grilled eggplant salad, feel free to use whatever variety you prefer.

You'll also need the following ingredients:

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

Variations

If you prefer to cook the eggplant using a different method than grilling, you have a couple of options.

You can cube and roast eggplant in the oven. Or you can prepare it in an air fryer like my friend Cadry does when she makes her Air Fryer Eggplant Dip.

And for the salad itself, you can add additional ingredients to make it your own. These are some of my favorite variations:

• Add more veggies such as red bell pepper, cucumber, or red onion.
• Give it a tangy flavor with olives, capers, or Dijon mustard.
• Add your favorite vegan cheese like feta or mozzarella.
• Add dried spices such as Za'atar, sumac, or cumin.
• Substitute fresh lemon juice in place of the vinegar.
• Swap in your favorite fresh herbs like oregano, mint, or parsley for the basil.
• Skip the pine nuts and use roughly chopped walnuts, or leave them out entirely for a nut-free version.

Equipment

If you don't have an outdoor barbecue grill, you can use a grill pan on your stove.

Instructions

Eggplants cook quickly on a grill. 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.

Let them rest until they are cool enough to handle. Then slice them into bite-size pieces.

Then to make this eggplant chickpea salad, combine them in a large bowl with the other ingredients, toss, and serve. You can also make this salad in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to eat.

Serving suggestions

Eggplant Chickpea Salad is a complete meal on its own. For lunch I enjoy eating it with some crusty bread.

It's also perfect as a starter or side with a variety of other dishes. I particularly like it with Mediterranean seasoned yellow rice, lemon herb grilled potatoes, or vegan pasta Bolognese made with walnut meat.

Storing

Leftover eggplant chickpea salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended.

Recipe FAQs

More vegan chickpea salads

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