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Smoky Bulgur And Eggplant With Or Without Feta

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Makes 4 Servings 1x

Time 30 Minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 pound eggplant (any kind)
  • 1 medium red onion or large shallot
  • 1 cup bulgur (medium grind)
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 4 ounces feta cheese (about 1 cup crumbled; optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Put 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Trim and chop the eggplant into bite-size chunks; add the pieces to the skillet. Trim, peel, and chop the onion; add that to the skillet, too. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently and adding drops of oil as necessary until the vegetables are brown in places and soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. When the water comes to a boil, add the bulgur and a pinch of salt, stir, cover, and remove from the heat to steep while you finish the vegetables. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves; add them to the vegetables and stir.
  3. When the eggplant mixture is soft but not too mushy, stir in the tomato paste, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about a minute. Check the bulgur. It should be tender but still have some bite; if it hasn’t absorbed all the water, drain it in a strainer. Chop 1/2 cup of the parsley leaves (or more of the bunch if you like). Crumble the feta cheese if you’re using it.
  4. Add the bulgur to the skillet with the parsley and the feta (if you’re using it), fluff with a fork, and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, fluff again before serving.

 

Adapted from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Smoky Bulgur with Zucchini and Olives. Substitute chopped zucchini for the eggplant and 3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives for the feta.

Smoky Bulgur with Red Peppers and Manchego. Instead of the eggplant, core and chop 2 red bell peppers. Instead of the cumin, use 2 teaspoons of dried oregano. Substitute 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese for the feta. Garnish with chives instead of parsley if you’d like.

Lemony Bulgur with Kale and Ricotta Salata. Replace the eggplant with 1 bunch of chopped Lacinato kale. In Step 1, the kale will only take about 5 minutes to become tender. Instead of the smoked paprika and cumin, use the zest and juice of 1 lemon to season the vegetables in Step 3. Use crumbled ricotta salata instead of the feta cheese if you like.