ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED BELL PEPPER SALAD

Roasted Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Salad image

After making revisions to an Italian recipe for antipasto, I came up with this eggplant salad dish. It is not as time intensive as it appears; many of the steps can be performed simultaneously.

Provided by cheilan

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Eggplant

Time 2h25m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

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Ingredients

6 medium red bell peppers, halved and seeded
4 small baby eggplants, halved lengthwise
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or more as needed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 dashes chile sauce
1 (6 ounce) jar artichoke hearts
½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
4 large fresh basil leaves

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet. Place bell peppers, cut-sides down, on the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to char, about 45 minutes.
While peppers roast, score eggplant flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern with the tip of a knife. Press on the edges of the halves to open the cuts and sprinkle salt over the surface and into the cuts. Set aside, cut-sides up, for 30 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant over the sink to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange each half, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
Remove bell peppers from the oven and cover with a dish towel. Let stand for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.
Roast eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice the peppers while eggplant is roasting.
Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and chili sauce together in a separate bowl. Slice 4 artichoke hearts; reserve any remaining artichoke hearts for another use.
Let eggplant cool for at least 20 minutes before handling. Turn flesh-side up. Use a kitchen knife to scrape the flesh from the skin. Divide the flesh along the score lines into cubes. Discard skin.
Combine eggplant, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix together. Garnish with basil leaves.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 314.6 calories, Carbohydrate 39.3 g, Fat 16.6 g, Fiber 17.4 g, Protein 7.5 g, SaturatedFat 2.3 g, Sodium 336.2 mg, Sugar 16.2 g