Eggplant Fatteh

This Eggplant Fatteh is a Middle Eastern classic and is completely vegetarian! It's one of my favorite recipes to serve because it's so easy to put together and the flavor combinations are SO good. You get the crunch from the pita, the savory goodness of the roasted eggplant, the garlic-y and lemony yogurt tahini sauce, and a burst of flavor from the garnish. It can't get any better! I'm warning you - this dish is addictive. You'll be making it over and over again.

The really great thing about this eggplant fatteh is that you can get away with baking everything (no need to fry) and you can make most of the components ahead of time and assemble them all just before serving. That's why it's a winner for dinner parties, because it's easy prep and very flexible. It's traditionally served as a warm appetizer but I also have mine as a full meal for lunch or dinner.

Here's the breakdown of how this dish comes together. You start by cutting the eggplant into cubes, seasoning with sumac and paprika, and slow roasting them in the oven for about 30 minutes until they're soft and golden. You then work on the crunchy pita. Simply cut up the pita, slather with olive oil and either bake them until golden, or you can also pan fry them.

The last component is the delicious yogurt tahini sauce. You can really customize the flavors here and add either more or less garlic, tahini, and lemon to your liking. Finally comes the garnish, which is so important. We had a nice element of crunch from the toasted almonds and freshness from the pomegranate and parsley. Then you take a heavenly eggplant fatteh bite and thank me later!

How to make Egglant Fatteh ahead of time:

• You can roast the eggplant and place in an airtight container and in the fridge. Before serving, simply heat them in the oven or microwave
• For the pita, you can roast them until crisp and also store in a container on the counter top. As long as nothing else is combined with them, they will remain crispy
• The sauce can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. You may need to adjust the consistency as it might thicken slightly. Do this by adding a bit of water or lemon to thin it out
• The most important part is to ensure you layer the dish just before serving, to keep everything crunchy

I really hope you go ahead and try this dish. So many of my Instagram friends have loved it and made it over and over again! If you do try it, be sure to come back and leave a comment, I'd love to know what you thought of it.

For more Middle Eastern Recipes, check out:

• Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
• Instant Pot Tomato Rice
• Easy Eggplant and Potato Moussaka

Eggplant Fatteh

A classic vegetarian middle eastern dish made of eggplant, pita and a Tahini yogurt sauce. It starts with a crunchy layer of pita bread, topped with roasted eggplant, then a creamy yogurt tahini sauce and finally some crunchy almonds, parsley and pomegranate seeds.

4.94 from 47 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: middle eastern

Keyword: Eggplant Fatteh

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Amina Al-Saigh

Ingredients

For the Eggplant

• ▢ 1 large eggplant
• ▢ ½ cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp sumac
• ▢ ½ tsp paprika

For the Pita

• ▢ 4 8 " Pita bread
• ▢ ¾ cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 tsp sumac

For the Sauce

• ▢ 2 cups plain yogurt
• ▢ ½ cup tahini
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ ½ Lemon juice of
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt or to taste

For the Garnish

• ▢ ¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup pomegranate seeds optional

Instructions

For the Eggplant

• Preheat oven to 425F
• Chop the eggplant into 1 inch cubes and toss in the olive oil, salt, sumac, and paprika. Coat all pieces well.
• Lay eggplant in one later on a lined baking sheet (use 2 if necessary) and bake in the oven for 30 mins at 425F

For the Pita

• Cut the pita into 1 inch squares (similar size to eggplant) and coat well with the olive oil and sumac
• Lay them in one layer on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins at 425F until golden OR fry in a non stick pan on the stove in batches (don't overcrowd) and continue stirring until golden

For the Sauce

• Add the yogurt to a bowl and whip to smooth with a fork. Add in all other ingredients and mix well
• Add a bit of water to thin out the sauce if necessary and taste and adjust

For the Garnish

• In a pan, fry the almonds or pine nuts in the olive oil until golden brown, stirring constantly
• Finely chop the parsley and peel the pomegranate if necessary

For the Layering

• Layer the Fatteh just before serving by laying the pita at the bottom, then the eggplant, sauce, and garnish.

Notes

• You can bake the eggplant a day ahead and re-heat just before serving
• You can make the pita earlier in the day and leave it out at room temperature. It will remain crispy as long as its left on its own
• The sauce should be mixed just before serving (refrigerating it overnight will make it thicker)
• The almonds or pine nuts need to be fried the same day but can be done hours ahead and stored in a bowl at room temperature

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