Eggplant and Mint-Basil Pesto

We always love to have batches of pesto on hand to provide an awesome medium to eat more veggies. Eggplant is a classic pair with basil and mint, and in this dish a pesto is made with an even mix of both herbs. Eggplant can be prepared in many ways, grilled, roasted, sauteed, or even pickled/marinated. As long as the eggplant is fresh and tasty, it will work in this dish.

This pesto is a variation of the mint yogurt pesto featured in: https://www.lemonpantry.com/post/mint-pesto-with-za-atar-chickpeas

Ingredients

Eggplant - 1 or 2 medium sized- sliced into 1/4 inch circles.

Mint Basil Pesto

Hazelnuts - 2 Tbsp

Mint - 0.5 oz (remove stems)

Basil - 0.25 oz

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Yogurt (substitute olive oil and water for yogurt to make it dairy free)

1 Tbsp Lemon

1 Tsp Salt

Steps

Once the eggplant is slices, immediately brush or top with olive oil, salt and black pepper (on both sides).

Grill or sauté until cooked through, softened and slightly browned.

Pesto

In a powerful food processor or blender, add the hazelnuts first, and pulse them until they're fully ground. Then add the olive oil, lemon, yogurt, basil, mint and blend again. (stop/repeat while pushing the blended ingredients down the sides into the blades). Add a touch water if it's not fully emulsifying. Finally, add salt to taste, stir/blend again.

Serve together!

For other condiment recipes:

https://www.lemonpantry.com/all-recipes/categories/snacks