Inspired by the Japanese miso eggplant, this healthy and delicious recipe features soft, creamy oven-roasted eggplant topped with umami-rich tomato miso sauce. SOOO good, it’s like a flavour explosion in your mouth. This eggplant recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and low-carb friendly. 

What Is Miso Eggplant?

Miso eggplant, also known as Nasu Dengaku, is a classic Japanese side dish made with eggplant (aubergine) sliced in half, grilled or baked and brushed with a sweet and savoury miso glaze. It’s a dream dish for any eggplant lover and can be served as a side or a main with rice, quinoa or noodles.

My version features roasted eggplant with a slightly different sauce made with white or light brown miso, tomato paste, onion and garlic. The eggplant is nicely caramelised and golden brown with creamy flesh and the sauce is like a flavourful condiment that really brings out the taste of the vegetable.

It’s a plant-based, vegan recipe that is also gluten-free and low-carb (lots of fibre, so net carbs are low). I usually serve it with regular rice or quinoa or cauliflower rice if I am eating low-carb.

What You Need For Tomato Miso Eggplant

For four servings or 8 decent pieces, you will need two large eggplants cut into quarters. I like to roast it for about 30 minutes until golden brown and soft in the middle but you can also slice it or dice it and grill/pan-fry in a little oil.

Tomato Miso Sauce

The sauce is made with sauteed, soft onions, garlic, tomato paste and miso paste, plus some water. You can add a splash of soy sauce or Tamari sauce or a little salt for extra seasoning. I also add a pinch of chilli flakes or powder. 

Try to get freshly fermented miso from the refrigerated section of a health food store or supermarket as it will be unsaturated and beaming with good bacteria (probiotics). You can use white or light brown miso or a combination. If you only have dark miso, that’s fine as well but the flavour will be a little more intense. If you can’t find fresh miso, the paste from the packets will do the trick. Read my article on types of miso and health benefits here.

Try This Next Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe

Make-Ahead Tip

This dish can be made ahead of time. Store the pre-cooked eggplant and the sauce separately in the fridge and reheat just before serving. The sauce will freeze well, not so much for the eggplant.

Turn It Into A Dip or Spread

Another cool idea is to puree the eggplant and mix it with the tomato miso sauce for a Japanese babagnush, eggplant dip creation. Serve with seaweed crackers or sesame crackers or spread on toasted sourdough with avocado for a delicious plant-based breakfast or lunch.&

More Eggplant Recipes

Full Recipe 

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

Description

Roasted eggplant with tomato miso sauce is rich in umami flavour, slightly salty and sweet with just a touch of acidity. It’s my take on the classic miso eggplant dish and perfect as a side dish or a main with rice or quinoa. It’s a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and low-carb friendly eggplant recipe.

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with a little bit of salt. Leave for 5 minutes to draw out some of the moisture. Use a kitchen roll or kitchen towel to pat dry the flesh side.
3. Brush the eggplants with olive or coconut oil and roast on a flat baking tray for 20 minutes. Turn them over and roast for a further 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. 
5. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Add tomato paste, chilli and water. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes until thickened. Turn the heat off, add the miso paste and stir until well incorporated into the sauce. You can use a fork, a whisk or a potato masher to help dissolve the miso into the sauce.
6. Spoon the sauce over roasted eggplant and garnish with chopped spring onion. 

Notes

Instead of roasting the eggplant, you can slice it into thinner circles or strips and pan-fry them in a little oil until golden brown.

The sauce can be made ahead of time.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 pieces of eggplant with the sauce
• Calories: 231
• Sugar: 11.5 g
• Sodium: 300.7 mg
• Fat: 16.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 21.6 g
• Fiber: 9.2 g
• Protein: 3.8 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: Eggplant, Aubergine, Miso, Tomatoes, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian

Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

This creamy basil sauce is going on EV-ER-Y-THING in my life: sandwiches, eggs, grilled chicken and veggies, dipped with chips?! It’s so good, packed with green goodness, it’s beautifully summery, and I’m doing the most with it.

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In This Post:

The main thing:

Other stuff:

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How To Make This Basil Sauce

Step 1: Get All Your Ingredients Ready

You can use a blender, food processor, or a mini-chopper-type gadget. I love this mini-chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it all the time because it’s super compact.

Step 2: Blend Your Basil Sauce

That’s it! Just blend, taste, and adjust!

This sauce can be a bit chunky / textured, so keep it going until it has the consistency you want. I prefer something right before completely pureed – where it has just barely noticeable flecks of herbs, but it’s mostly smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Put It On All Your Yummy Things

Like so. (Here’s that recipe.)

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Lindsay’s Notes

Ooh baby. Basil, chives, garlic, and a tiny hit of oregano all in a creamy, salty, bright green sauce – I love this so much.

The first time I made this, my toddler (who mostly just eats crackers) found a spatula and just sat at the counter licking the remnants of the sauce out of the blender with me. And I hear that from a lot of people – many kids seem to be very into this for unknown reasons. Sometimes it just hits right, ya know? A+ for that experience.

My favorite thing about this sauce, besides that it tastes like heaven, is that makes healthy-ish eating something I really, actually look forward to.

Baked salmon goes up about 100 notches in my book when smothered in this creamy green sauce. Same goes for shrimp, chicken, and a big fresh salad or lots of roasted veggies.

This will not be the last we see of this sauce, which is why I decided to give it its own post on POY. Welcome home, little basil sauce.

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Things You Could Put It On

The possibilities! They are endless.

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Print

Description

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

1. Place all your sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. (I use this mini chopper for the vast majority of my sauces because it’s nice and compact!)
2. Blend until you get your desired consistency – I usually go for an almost-completely-smooth texture that is flecked with small bits of herbs.

Notes

Taste and adjust! More lemon juice will wake it up, Parmesan adds more umami and saltiness, and if it gets too salty for you, add a bit more mayo to dilute the pungency a bit!

Keywords: basil sauce, basil dressing

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Frequently Asked Questions For Basil Sauce

What can I use instead of mayo?

I’ve seen some people on Instagram say they used Greek yogurt and liked it. I haven’t made it this way and I know I wouldn’t like it with Greek yogurt because it’s so tangy and has a different flavor. BUT, if you’re okay with it being a bit different than the original, I think Greek yogurt could work!

I have an egg allergy – what can I use?

Vegan mayo has no eggs and tastes great! That’s what I’d use!

How long does the basil sauce last?

I usually keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Can you make this vegetarian / vegan?

Yes! Use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan! If you can’t find vegan Parmesan, just throw in a bit of extra salt to compensate for the change in flavor. And if you don’t want to use vegan mayo, try using an avocado like we did in this avocado mojo sauce.

Can you freeze this basil sauce?

I would not recommend freezing this.

More Of My Favorite Sauce Recipes

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