Mediterranean Eggplant Stacks

You may have noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a Mediterranean kick lately – chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and feta have all been making me very happy and this dish is no exception. I wanted to come up with a fun vegetarian main dish to serve at an upcoming dinner party. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to practice dishes before the actual event so I spent a bit of time brainstorming and finally decided to stack slices of roasted eggplant in between layers of a roasted red pepper and chickpea spread, feta, and pine nuts. I really loved the contrast of the crunchy pine nuts with the creamy chickpeas and I’m already looking forward to serving these cute little stacks!

Also, I’m working on going through our 2000 (!) pictures from our trip to Lithuania right now and I’ve already whipped up several dishes inspired by our trip, so stay tuned for a recap!

Mediterranean Eggplant Stacks
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, ends trimmed and cut crosswise into 12 1/2-inch thick round slices
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Sprinkle eggplant slices evenly with 2 tablespoons salt on both sides and let stand for at least 30 minutes on paper towels. Rinse the slices with water and pat them dry. Place 1/4 cup olive oil in a small dish and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Place eggplant slices on two large greased cookie sheets in a single layer and roast at 375˚F for 22 to 25 minutes or until tender but not mushy.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat high. Add onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Place cooked onions, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, red wine vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor and pulse until well blended.

To assemble the eggplant stacks, evenly layer a slice of eggplant, approximately 1 tablespoon of the red pepper chickpea spread, 1 teaspoon of feta, and 1 teaspoon of pine nuts. Repeat 2 more times, so each stack contains 3 slices of eggplant. Makes 8 eggplant stacks.

Nutrition: 308 calories, 20.6g fat, 7.3g fiber, 7.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.11 per serving