Chickpeas, various fresh seasonal vegetables, tomato, and roasted or air-fried eggplant make up an eggplant salad that can also be used for pasta. It is ideal for picnics, potlucks, and dinners that have been planned in advance. It may be used as a side dish or combined with spaghetti to make a flavorful, healthy, and light entrée. It's a beautiful choice to expand your salad menu to include roasted eggplant salad. We provide comforting meals with classic tastes and an Italian influence. Your dinner party guests will beg for seconds of this meal. It is filled to the capacity with fresh, tender-crisp seasonal vegetables. We'll start by showing you how to make it as a nutritious side dish. Then, how to adapt it into a lovely eggplant pasta salad for potlucks, picnics, and lunches that can be prepared in advance. The focal point of this dinner is the eggplants. Roasting eggplant in the oven or air fryer may be done in half the time. If you'd like, you may also use grilled eggplant. We blend fresh, sharp veggies like chickpeas, raw zucchini, red onion, and black olives with soft, smoked eggplant to create a kaleidoscope of hues, tastes, and sensations. 
Extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon make up the basic seasoning, but if you want to add something special, try our straightforward lemon-mustard dressing. For one of the most delicious and nourishing pasta salads you've ever had, combine this eggplant salad with al dente short noodles. The meal is packed with vitamins, antioxidants, complete proteins, dietary fiber, and nutritious carbohydrates. EGGPLANT Globe eggplants, which are deep purple eggplants, are often seen in supermarket stores. You may also use a variety of eggplants, including zebra eggplant, which has white and purple stripes, and Italian eggplant, which is almost similar to American globe eggplant. CHICKPEAS Use canned chickpeas or fresh chickpeas that have been cooked. Lentils or cannellini beans can be used in lieu of chickpeas. TOMATOES Smaller tomatoes are recommended since they produce less water and are tastier. Use any little kind of tomato, such as cherry, date, plum, or any other. ZUCCHINI We like adding finely sliced raw zucchini to this salad. Cucumber may be used in place of raw zucchini if you don't like it. 
BELL PEPPER The perfect bell pepper is yellow because of its hue. Bell peppers and eggplants go well together, the bell pepper's sweetness and crunchiness balancing the eggplant's delicate flavor and smoky smokiness. Red or orange bell peppers may be used in lieu of the yellow bell pepper. RED ONION The acidic, biting taste of the red onion counteracts the sweetness of the other vegetables in the salad. It works best if it is roughly cut. Shallots or spring onions may be used as a replacement for a softer taste. BLACK OLIVES Olives provide a ton of flavor and umami. Any kind of olive, from Kalamata to Castelvetrano, would work; we just need pitted black olives. PARSLEY Fresh flat-leaf parsley is the "cherry on top" of this salad. It brings brightness, color, and a hint of Mediterranean flavor to the other vegetables, blending in beautifully. It goes well with roasted eggplant and chickpeas, so don't skip it. For the parsley, you may use basil leaves, chives, or finely chopped mint leaves. 
OLIVE OIL To give this meal a light, fruity taste, we advise using extra virgin olive oil. Since oil is the main ingredient in our dressing, it needs to be of high caliber. LEMON JUICE Freshly squeezed lemon juice's acidity improves the flavor of the other ingredients while balancing the oil's round mouthfeel and adding brightness. Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar may be used in lieu of lemon juice. Olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and maple syrup may be combined to make a straightforward lemon-mustard vinaigrette. SALT & BLACK PEPPER Season this salad with salt and black pepper to improve its taste. Use of sea salt or kosher salt is advised. If you want to use the pasta in the salad, don't forget to cook it in plenty of salted boiling water. If you are following a low-sodium diet, you may opt to replace table salt with potassium chloride salt, but first, see a doctor. 
SHORT PASTA To make this eggplant salad into a delectable main meal, try adding farfalle, rotini, fusilli, penne, or other kinds of small pasta. INSTRUCTIONS ROAST EGGPLANT Temperature-wise set the oven at 430 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Use parchment paper to line a sheet pan. Remove the stem from the eggplant after washing and drying it. Create 14-inch, 2-centimeter cubes out of the eggplant. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to distribute the seasoning. You might also include some fresh oregano, thyme, or dried herbs. After 20 minutes, turn the eggplant with a spatula and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Puncture the flesh of the eggplant with a fork to see whether it is cooked. The fork should fit with no problem. 
CUTTING VEGETABLES Drained and rinsed chickpeas, black olives with pits, finely chopped onion, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, diced yellow bell pepper, and finely chopped parsley should all be combined in a large mixing dish. Set aside after seasoning with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. To add a stronger, more powerful taste, use our mustard dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. The cooked eggplants should be added to the mixture in the bowl. Mix thoroughly, then add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve with toasted bread, warm pita bread, or a sandwich at room temperature or chilled. Pasta must be present (OPTIONAL) It's optional to add pasta if you want to turn your eggplant salad into a complete meal, but we highly encourage it. Farfalle or any other kind of short pasta should be cooked until al dente in salted boiling water. Drain the pasta, then rinse it under cold water for 30 seconds to gently chill it before adding it to the dish with the other ingredients. Completely combine, taste, and season as desired. More lemon juice, parsley, and olive oil might be required.
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