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Roasted Eggplant, Spinach, Quinoa, and Feta Salad - healthy, Mediterranean-style, gluten free recipe. It's also vegetarian, paleo, low calorie, low carb and low cholesterol, high in fiber and protein (from quinoa). Even though it's a salad, it also makes a great main dish.
Roasted Eggplant with Spinach, Quinoa, and Feta combined together are so delicious! Honestly, it's one of the best recipes I've made so far using eggplant, and the combination of all these simple ingredients is amazing! I love eggplant, it's one of my favorite vegetables:
This dish has a very strong Mediterranean vibe, as I am using eggplant, quinoa, and Feta cheese. I call it healthy comfort food. It's vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, low calorie, low carb and low cholesterol, high in fiber and protein (from quinoa). Also, this recipe could not be simpler to make. First, you roast cubed eggplant in the oven:
Then, you cook spinach and 1 clove of minced garlic in a large skillet for only a minute or two, just until it wilts. Then, once eggplant is done, add eggplant to this large skillet with wilted spinach:
Add cooked quinoa to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Don't overdo it on the salt, as you will be adding Feta cheese in the end.
Finally, top it with Feta cheese:
Enjoy!
Roasted Eggplant, Spinach, Quinoa, and Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant large, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 ounces spinach fresh
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup Feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Grease the sheet lightly with olive oil.
- In a large bowl, mix cubed eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread chopped eggplant over the lightly greased baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes (or more, depends on your oven) until eggplant softens. Midway through roasting, take out the sheet and flip over eggplant cubes to the other side using spatula - that will help even out the roasting.
- While eggplant is being roasted, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, add spinach and 1 minced garlic clove and cook for a couple of minutes, constantly stirring, just until spinach wilts. Remove from heat.
- Once eggplant is done, immediately remove it from the baking sheet into the same skillet with spinach, off heat. Immediately add quinoa and second clove of minced garlic. This will allow cooked eggplant to release some juices when mixed in with quinoa. Mix everything well, off heat, and season with more salt if needed. Don't add too much salt or omit it altogether as you will be using Feta cheese too. Top with Feta cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Wouldn't advise cooking on aluminum foil, just put eggplant in the pan with olive oil.
Why no foil?
Made this w/ kale instead of spinach ( it's what I had on hand); added a diced zucchini and slice mushrooms. It is so rich and delicious. Also did a combo of quinoa and kaniwa for both color and texture. Tasted buttery, so I skipped the feta! Thanks fr great recipe!
Just made-delicious!!
So glad you liked it! Love this dish too! 🙂
I have just recently started cooking eggplant, Julia! Funny thing, I just posted a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen where you roast eggplant with soy sauce instead of salt! So good and I plan to toss it in grain salads. Your dish looks so flavorful! I really like the Mediterranean rendition.
Interesting about roasting the eggplant with soy sauce. I will try it with tamari sauce maybe at some point for a gluten free version. 🙂
Thanks for this fantastic recipe Julia...I love quinoa and I am always looking for new recipes...delicious and very colorful!
Have a great week ahead 😀
Gorgeous photos, Julia! Love me some roasted eggplant 🙂
Yes! 🙂
This is so easy and delicious. I love roasted eggplants full of flavors.
Eggplant has long been one of my most favorite vegetables.
Looks delicious!
I love roasted eggplant!! This looks delicious - so many of my favorite things in one dish!
Yes, eggplant is so good when roasted and lightly salted. Yum!
this sounds so good! i love roasted eggplant and all the add ins take it over the top. 🙂
I love eggplant - I could eat it every day!
I love roast eggplant! And I love this dish -- terrific combo of flavors. I'm with Shashi -- great pictures, too. Thanks for this.
Yes, John, this was delicious! And healthy, too!
Yes - yes I want seconds!!! Gorgeous photos Julia!
Shashi - thank you!
Hi I love your recipe are you working as a cook? Where du you live? USA? or UK? regards Marlene
Hi Marlene! No, I don't work as a cook - I work in accounting. 🙂 And, I live in the US.