We love one and done vegan dinner situations! This one-pan harissa eggplant is a little spicy! It has a wonderfully creamy texture thanks to an easy little preparation step. I serve it with a pearl couscous and chickpea medley topped with plenty of chopped spinach, fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts. I like to top it with small dollops of plain vegan yogurt.
Harissa is a spicy condiment made from hot peppers, oil and spices, among other ingredients. It’s a nice match for the meaty and silky eggplant. The paste is widely used in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco. There is a lot of variation depending on the region. You can read more about harissa here.
How to make eggplant soft and not bitter:
- In most of my eggplant recipes, I tell you to apply a generous amount of salt to the sliced eggplant before cooking. Whether you cut it into cubes, wedges or slices, we toss the eggplant with salt and let it sit in a colander in the sink for 20 minutes to an hour.
- Applying salt triggers osmosis, which means excess water will come out as the eggplant sits. A lot of bitterness comes out with this water!
- After 20 minutes, you give the eggplant a quick rinse to get rid of excess salt. This process helps to season the vegetables from the inside.
- We dry it thoroughly, really wringing the towel and pressing it down—it helps soften the eggplant.
Pearl couscous is a larger, more chewy and toothsome couscous. It is technically a type of pasta made from semolina flour and water. If you need a gluten-free substitution for this recipe, I recommend trying gluten-free orzo. When pearl couscous is infused with vegetable stock, shallots, and spices, it picks up those flavors and fills out the dish.
This vegetarian dish is complete as is, but if you want more vegetarian options, you can add a cup of finely chopped carrots, fennel, or zucchini to the shallots. Hope you like this easy-to-use one-pot scenario!
One-Pan Harissa Eggplant, Pearl Couscous and Chickpeas
One-Pan Harissa Eggplant with Pearl Couscous and Chickpeas is a hearty vegan dinner that comes together simply. Harissa paste brings a bit of spice to perfectly browned eggplant slices that sit atop spicy pearl couscous, chickpeas and spinach. Herbs, pine nuts, and dollops of non-dairy yogurt finish off this hearty vegetarian dish.
serving 4
Materials
- 1 big Eggplant, cut into rounds (I weigh about 600 grams)
- 1 table spoon Sea salt, plus extra
- ¼ the cup Harissa paste
- 3 table spoon Olive oil, plus extra
- 1 big shallot, small dice (about ½ cup chopped shallots)
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ the cup Dried pearl couscous
- 19 oz (540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 the cup Vegetable extract
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 table spoon Tamari or coconut aminos
- 2 Packed cup baby spinach, chopped
- 1 the cup Leafy herbs, such as mint, parsley, cilantro, or a combination, chopped
- 1 table spoon Lemon juice plus zest for serving
- 2 table spoon Pine nuts, toasted
- Plain unsweetened vegetarian yogurt, for serving
Comment
- You’ll want a large skillet or braiser with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
- For a gluten-free option, I’d like to see DeLallo’s gluten-free orzo To use in place of pearl couscous. May take a little longer to cook!
- I know eggplant needs a lot of salt! Most of it is washed before cooking.
- i like Shuk’s Hari at NY Quite a bit and definitely recommend it for this recipe.
- My favorite vegan plain yogurt for delicious cooking yoga, Cocoyo or the kitchen.
instructions
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Set a colander in the sink and place your eggplant rounds in it. Sprinkle the eggplant with a tablespoon of salt and coat. Let the eggplant sit for 20 minutes or up to an hour. I want to use this time to prepare and measure other ingredients.
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After 20 minutes, rinse the eggplant slices thoroughly with cold water and then pat dry with a kitchen towel.
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Heat a large, deep skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Add ½ olive oil. Add as many eggplant slices that will fit in the skillet and cook until browned on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices and brown the other side. Brush the top of the eggplant with the harissa. Flip the pieces over and brush the other side. Transfer the browned and harissa-brushed eggplant to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining olive oil, eggplant and harissa, adding more olive oil if necessary.
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Once you’ve browned all the eggplant, we’ll start the couscous base. Add more olive oil if needed and reduce heat to medium. Add the shallots and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander and fry for another minute. Add couscous and toast for 2-3 minutes. Add chickpeas, vegetable stock, tamari and black pepper. Stir to combine.
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Bring the couscous mixture to a boil and then simmer, covered, on low until all the liquid is absorbed, 8-10 minutes.
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Remove the lid and fold in the spinach, herbs and lemon juice. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove couscous mixture from heat and top with harissa eggplant slices. Garnish with lemon zest, pine nuts and dollops of plain vegan yogurt if you like. Serve immediately.
