Description
These eggplant fries will make your mind and body happy. First, because you're sneaking in veggies in your meal. The eggplant becomes nice and creamy soft. Second, because you'll get the crunch from the panko, with a touch of saltiness and tang from the za'atar coating. And third, because they're baked, so no greasy mess to deal with.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 large eggplant, unpeeled
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten (See Note 1 for a vegan option)
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 6 tbsp za'atar (see Note 2 for other options)
- 1 tsp salt
- cooking spray
- For the Tahini Sauce:
- 2/3 cup Tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup of water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cut the ends of the eggplant creating a base. Stand the eggplant and slice it in half. Slice each half, in half again. Cut long vertical strips of each slice of eggplant and make one horizontal cut in the middle, so they resemble French Fries. Repeat with each slice of eggplant.
- Prepare 1 large bowl, 2 medium-sized bowls, and a small plate. Place flour in the large bowl (season to taste with salt and pepper), place beaten eggs in one of the medium bowls, add Panko, za'atar, and salt in the other medium bowl and add about 1/4-1/3 cup of Panko mixture to the small plate.
- Place all the eggplant sticks in the flour bowl and mix until the eggplant is well coated with flour. Dip eggplant sticks one at a time the egg and finally coat with the panko that is on the small plate. Place the coated eggplant fries on the lined baking sheet. As you finish the panko on the small plate add more from the bowl.
- Generously spray each piece with cooking spray
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn them over, and spray again with cooking spray. Bake for another 15 minutes
- In the meantime, prepare the tahini sauce: in a small bowl, combine tahini paste, salt, and lemon juice and whisk until it thickens. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until well incorporated and you reach the desired consistency. For a thinner sauce, add more water (note: the sauce will thicken slightly when refrigerated, you can thin it by adding a little water).
- Serve eggplant fries hot and fresh out of the oven with tahini sauce
Notes
- For a vegan option, substitute eggs for a cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk.
- The reason you scoop small amounts of panko mixture at a time is to prevent it from getting too wet and not sticking to the eggplant. Wipe or rinse your hands often while coating the eggplant for best results.
- Use Gluten-Free Panko, if you are gluten-free.
This post was originally published on August 4th, 2015
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: side
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Sticks
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 544.5 mg
- Fat: 3.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.7 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg