Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers (Vegan GF)
This Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers served with Whipped Tahini is a delicious 30-minute vegan and gluten-free meal packed with goodness and flavour. It’s ideal as a main or as a side dish.
If you loved my previous Smashed Cucumber Chickpea Salad then you are going to love this one as it’s got everything going for it. With a delicious creamy tahini dip, lots of harissa roasted aubergine and crispy chickpeas, it’s easy to make and great for this end of summer phase. It’s light yet hearty and filling and makes a great option to serve to friends and family as part of a mezze meal, a side dish or enjoy with bread or grains for a complete meal. This recipe is fully inspired by homegrown produce as we have lots of aubergines, peppers and cucumbers given to use from family and I wanted to make them really shine.
Why will I love this dish?
This meal is amazing:
- Fresh, vibrant and colourful
- Richly flavoured with harissa
- Refreshing and cooling
- The whipped tahini is thick and creamy
- Easy to make in a few steps
- Only takes 30 minutes to make
- Great for friends and family
- Ideal as a main meal or as a sharing platter
- Great with bread or other wholegrains
- Delicious
- Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and soya-free
- High in protein
- A source of protein and other goodness
If you already love the sound of this Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers with Whipped Tahini then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The ingredients are simple and I have linked to my favourites in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the roasted veggies:
- Aubergine: nothing beats a good aubergine dish as they are so versatile and great at absorbing flavour. Chop the aubergine small so it roasts well along with the peppers. You can also swap this for courgette if you don’t have any.
- Red peppers: we had so many homegrown peppers from my great aunt that I wanted to show them off. These ones are sweet pepper but regular bell peppers are also great and you can use any colour but I prefer red.
- Chickpeas: these are great for protein and adding fibre to the meal, and they turn to crispy and delicious in the oven. You can also swap these for beans or cubed tofu, if you prefer.
- Harissa paste: this is great for adding tons of flavour and is easy to find in supermarkets. It has a fiery, rich and smokey flavour and my favourite is the rose harissa paste.
- Olive oil: this helps to roast the veggies, you can use extra virgin or regular olive oil, or try avocado or macadamia oil, too.
- Maple syrup: this allows the vegetables and chickpeas to turn really sticky, charred and delicious. You can also use agave syrup or vegan honey.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
As for the smashed cucumber and salad:
- Cucumbers: these are one of my favourite foods, especially homegrown. Smashing them with a rolling pin adds tons of texture to the dish and it’s so fun, too. We salt the cucumbers to draw out some excess moisture and then pat dry to remove some of the salt.
- Fresh basil: for flavour. You can also try fresh mint, chive or parsley/coriander, too.
- Vegan feta cheese: I love the salty tang this adds to the rich, sticky-sweet vegetables.
For the whipped tahini:
- Thick coconut yoghurt: the thicker and creamier, the better. I use the Cocos Organic original yoghurt as it’s great for gut health, too. Make sure your yoghurt is unsweetened.
- Tahini: the best tahini is runny and smooth and this adds a lovely “nutty” rich flavour (despite being nut-free and made 100% from sesame seeds).
- Garlic: for a rich flavour and slight kick.
- Lemon: for freshness and tang. You can use fresh or a carton of lemon juice.
To serve:
- Favourite bread: I like to scoop this up with hunks of sourdough or rye bread, or you can serve with wholegrains like quinoa, buckwheat or couscous on the side or tossed into the salad. You can make your own Super Seedy Grain-Free Bread or Gluten-Free Vegan Buckwheat Bread, too.
- Crackers: alternatively mop up the salad with your favourite crackers.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes this is gluten-free and nut-free, just check all your ingredients like yoghurt and feta cheese for nuts.
How do I make this?
This is ready to go in a few steps:
- Chop the vegetables and pat the chickpeas dry: and place in a roasting tin.
- Mix in the harissa, olive oil and maple syrup: and toss together with all of the veggies.
- Roast for 25 minutes until tender: this can be done ahead of time, if you prefer.
- Smash the cucumbers with a rolling pin: chop up and sprinkle over some salt. Leave for 10 minutes then pat dry.
- Whisk together all of the whipped tahini ingredients: until smooth.
- Stir together the roasted vegetables, chickpeas and cucumbers: with the fresh basil.
- Spread the whipped tahini on plates and top with the salad: sprinkling over more vegan feta cheese.
- Serve with your favourite bread, crackers or wholegrains: and enjoy.
How long will this last?
Once plated, enjoy this within a couple of hours, or keep the components separately in the fridge for 2-3 days in sealed containers.
What else can I make?
If you are looking for more 30-minute vegan meal ideas, how about my:
- Creamy Lemony Courgette Butterbeans
- Grilled Artichoke Vegan Caesar Salad
- Smashed Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
- The Best Vegan Kale Salad with Balsamic
- Charred Corn and Sweet Potato Salad with Balsamic Tahini
Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers (Vegan GF)
This Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers with Whipped Tahini is a delicious 30-minute vegan and gluten-free meal packed with goodness and flavour. It’s ideal as a main or as a side dish.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Aubergine and Chickpeas:
- 1 medium-sized aubergine
- 1 large or 2 smaller red peppers
- 200-240g chickpeas (drained weight)
- 1 tbsp harissa pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Salt and pepper
For the Smashed Cucumber Salad:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 freshly chopped basil
- 40g vegan feta, crumbled
For the Whipped Tahini:
- 120g thick coconut yoghurt
- 45g runny, smooth tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ lemon, juiced (1 tbsp)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180Fan/200ºC and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- For the roasted vegetables: slice and dice the aubergine and peppers into 1-2-cm chunks and pat the chickpeas dry. Add them all to the tray and stir together the harissa, oil and maple syrup and pour over the vegetables. Toss together well and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until starting to char and tender.
- For the cucumbers: trim the ends off the cucumber and lay on a chopping board. Use a rolling pin and smash the cucumbers, breaking them apart. Roughly chop them up into 5-cm pieces and add to a sieve. Salt the cucumbers and leave to strain for 5-10 minutes, before patting them dry to remove excess liquid and salt.
- Meanwhile, make the whipped tahini: crush the garlic and add to a small bowl with the yoghurt, tahini, lemon, some salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- To make the salad: add the cucumbers, fresh basil, most of the feta and the roasted vegetables (along with any excess juices) to a bowl and toss together.
- To serve: spread the whipped tahini onto plates and top with the roasted aubergines and cucumbers. Top with the remaining feta and some extra basil and black pepper.
- Enjoy straight away with bread or other wholegrains, or keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, ideally keeping the whipped tahini and the salad ingredients in two separate containers.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Smashed Cucumbers with Whipped Tahini so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With smashed cucumber aubergine love x
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