Mediterranean Salad Recipe (Oven Roasted)

So what do you think about my super easy oven roasted eggplant, bell pepper, lentils and spicy harissa salad then? This is such a delicious mediterranean salad recipe…

You just gotta love harissa paste!

How about you, do you like harissa?

Have you ever tasted it before? I think that this roasted Mediterranean salad recipe is one of the first recipes in which I used harissa paste. I think that I made it quite a couple of years ago, in the very beginning of my food blogger’s life.

And it’s a salad that I still make often, especially when we’re having lamb. Harissa, eggplants, bell pepper and lamb go very well together, that’s why.

But before we start, what is harissa exactly?

It is originally a spicy Tunisian paste. Harissa contains a red chili paste and extra seasonings such as garlic and coriander seeds. Just to name a few. There’s more in it. It’s a very popular product in North-African cuisine.

Harissa is also very popular in Moroccan cuisine for example. Which by the way led me to believe in the beginning that harissa was a Moroccan paste. I only discovered later on that it is actually a Tunisian delicacy.

Who knew!

Oven Roasted Mediterranean Salad Recipe

Try harissa, it is a rather creamy and deeply flavored, rich and spicy mix of red chili.

And also a tad bitter too sometimes.

How hot you make a dish totally depends on how much you add. Not everyone likes spicy food. I suggest that you make this roasted eggplant salad to begin with. The harissa paste is just perfect for a roasted vegetable and lentil salad like this one.

I wonder why I have never cooked with harissa before!

Do you love oven roasted vegetables?

Then also check out my Spanish escalivada! Or what about another Spanish classic: grilled green onions with almond romesco sauce, also known as calçots!

Enjoy!

The Recipe

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Roasted Mediterranean Salad Recipe

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

Course: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 2

Calories per serving: 277 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 small fresh eggplant
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves chopped
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 3,5 oz canned lentils (100 g), drained weight
• 3 tbsp fresh mint chopped finely
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp spicy harissa paste
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• olive oil
• salt

Instructions

1. Pour a little olive oil in a large non-stick pan and add the chopped onion and garlic and the rosemary.
2. 
3. Then place the pan over medium heat and gently fry the garlic and onion in the oil for 4 minutes. In the meantime dice the eggplant up. Add it to the pan.
4. 
5. Stir and cook the eggplant for 3 minutes. Add extra olive oil if necessary. Clean and trim the bell pepper. Dice it up as well. Then add this to the pan together with the tomato paste. Season with a little salt.
6. 
7. Stir well again. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the harissa paste and half a glass of water.
8. 
9. Stir the vegetables well. Season with the ground cumin, coriander and the garam masala.
10. 
11. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes until the vegetables are well mixed. Then take the pan off the heat and pour the vegetables in a baking dish.
12. 
13. Place the dish in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 30 minutes and roast the vegetables until tender. Stir halfway through cooking time. Then remove the dish from the oven and stir in the drained lentils and the freshly chopped mint.
14. 
15. Stir well. Check the seasoning and add extra salt or harissa to taste if necessary. Serve piping hot.
16.