Spiced Eggplant and Tomatoes With Runny Eggs
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1½pounds Italian eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
- ⅓cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
- 1¼teaspoons baharat blend (or use another spice blend, such as garam masala)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 3fat garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced
- 2cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 1 pound)
- ¾cup chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, dill or any combination, plus more for garnish
- 4 to 6large eggs
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving
- Hot sauce (such as Tabasco), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
274 calories; 22 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 569 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Put eggplant in a colander in the sink and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Let drain while preparing the nuts.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, combine nuts, ¼ teaspoon baharat and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nut mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and toasted, 2 minutes. Pour nuts back into the small bowl and stir in lemon zest. Set aside for serving.
- Step 3
Add 3 tablespoons oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high until oil thins out, about 20 seconds. Add enough of the eggplant to fit in one layer without overlapping. Cook eggplant until browned, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggplant to a plate. Repeat with more oil and eggplant, taking care not to crowd the pan.
- Step 4
When all the eggplant is browned, push the last batch still in the pan to one side. Drizzle the empty part of the pan with a tiny bit of oil and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the rest of the browned eggplant back to the pan and stir well to incorporate garlic.
- Step 5
Add tomatoes and remaining baharat, ½ teaspoon salt and a big pinch of pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes and eggplant become stewy, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in herbs. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Step 6
Make small hollows into the stewed eggplant with the back of a spoon. Gently crack an egg into each hollow. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or piece of foil and cook on medium-low until the eggs are just set, but still soft, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove the lid, and garnish with the spiced nuts, more herbs and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with yogurt, hot sauce and more lemon wedges on the side.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Bnom
Great solution for those of us with late summer garden bounty. Made with yellow heirloom tomatoes and Japanese eggplant. The nuts add essential texture. Even appealed to my picky husband.
Claire
Really good and, like shakshuka, very riffable. Made with small garden eggplants and yellow pear tomatoes. Added some chilis with the garlic and "clean out the fridge" greens with the tomatoes. Used Spicewalla's delicious garam masala blend. Pine nuts were perfect. Husband's birthday dinner was a hit!
Faye
delicious! I used Melissa Clark's recipe for baharat spice mix, see this recipe https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017916-north-african-bean-stew-with-barley-and-winter-squash?action=click&module=Local%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=4 Next time I will try roasting the eggplant to save fuss & use less oil, Definitely make the pine nut, baharat mix on the stove, add garlic to pan, roasted eggplant, & tomato as per step 4.
CJ
OK, so I overcooked the eggs a tad (hate undercooked eggwhite....ugh) and they were not runny. But this was still delicious! Even though I completely forgot to incorporate the final two sentences of the recipe. I was hungry! I used garam masala, slivered almonds, and a generous amount of basil, parsley and mint. Good thing there is enough leftover eggplant/tomato stew for me to try again tomorrow with another egg and the spiced nuts, etc.
Wendy
Delicious! Great use of end-of-summer vegetables. The eggplant melts into the sauce and isn’t too eggplanty at the end. I threw in chopped yellow onion, yellow squash, green bell pepper and handful of beet greens. I didn’t have baharat so I used “shawarma spice” which I imagine is similar; I also added some dried mint leaves. The herbs I added were basil, mint, parsley and sorrel. I only used two eggs at the end, and served with toast and wedge of feta. Maybe better than usual shakshuka!
LindaB
Made this as eggplant stew, since I’m not a poached egg fan, but I love eggplant. Garam masala definitely worked as a substitute for baharat, but next time I may try adding some hot pepper with the garlic for a little more heat. I served it over rotini and it was delish!
Stella
I was surprised how good this is. Like Faye, next time will roast the eggplant. Used garam masala that I had. Eggs took 6 minutes. Still runny. Melissa Clark, still amazing. Much appreciated.
HMORRISON
Will make again and again. Absolutely delicious. Had to fight for the leftovers. Do not skip the nuts and lemon zest.
Greg
Honestly, besides the no knead bread, this is the best NYT recipe I've tried. A great base to try new things with: I used a reduced amount of berbere spice mix, as well as pistachios and almonds, and it came out delicious! I did depart from the recipe by adding water repeatedly after step 5 if the dish looked too dry.
Sarah
Absolutely delicious. We added a combination of mild peppers and jalapeños (not particularly hot ones) to cook down with the second batch of eggplant, before the garlic and tomatoes went in. They added a very nice warmth and depth to the dish. Didn’t have slivered almonds or pine nuts, so I just roughly chopped some dry-roasted almonds I had on hand, and my husband is already adding the nuts alone to his repertoire for salad toppings, etc. Another winner from Melissa!
Christina
Loved this so much Used Ras El hanout Pine nuts Parsley, mint, and cilantro Fermented wine berry hot sauce
donna
Loved this. I roasted the eggplant in the oven and then cooked it with tomatoes, chickpeas and the herbs. A winner!
meinmunich
Used garam marsala for a hearty lunch. Diabetic husband liked.
c
Baked eggplant instead. Family didn’t love it.
Heidi
Really good. Had garam masala on hand, so used that (more than the recipe calls for, though). My partner is vegan though I am not, so I tucked one little egg into a corner of the eggplant/tomato stew and folded domino-shaped tofu into the rest. Both worked just fine. Don’t stint on the fresh herbs! They bring this dish over the top.
Pat K
Loved this. Served it with Salsa Verde. Used slice almonds in lieu of pine nuts.
Susan
I have made this quite a few times, it even pleased my wife who dislikes eggplant. Every time it’s a bit different, according to what’s on hand, but always delicious.
Jane
Made half recipe of this tonight with Japanese eggplant, Sungold tomatoes, and herbs from the garden. Didn’t bother with step 1 (eggplant didn’t need it), and used Berbere and garam masala in place of baharat, but otherwise followed recipe exactly. It was delicious! Husband is a fan. Served with slices of homemade bread, but I suspect would also be great with pita/naan/any kind of flatbread. Highly recommend!
Róisín
This was so yummy! Lovely recipe
AKG
This was good, but not great. NYT is pretty much never spicy enough for my palate. If you also like things with a lot of oomph, I recommend more masala, more garlic, and perhaps a mild pepper (like jalapeño, with seeds) or some pepper flakes. That would pump it up a bit.
Darcie Gannon
This is delicious, a wonderful combination of flavors. I do have to comment that following the weights/measurements for the tomato and eggplant, this was more like two servings than four or six! Two not even large servings…
ShannonW
Doubled the baharat and pine nuts and used all mint..delicious! I halved the recipe and it was the perfect light but satisfying dinner for two with wheat pita.
Amelia
Yum! I made as a stew & soft boiled my eggs separately. The toasty slivered almonds were sooo good
GorgeGal
Bless you, Melissa Clark. This was a delicious recipe. I made it as written.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
