Armenian-style Eggplant & Carrot Salad

This Armenian Eggplant & Carrot Salad combines simple, clean ingredients to create a supremely satisfying salad. Goes well with soups, fish, chicken, cold and grilled sandwiches, and it's great for packing in a picnic, too.

Jump to:

• What's the Story on this Carrot Salad?
• Carrot & Eggplant Salad Ingredients
• How to Make this Recipe
• Substitutions
• More Carrot Salad Recipes
• Pairing
• Armenian Eggplant & Carrot Salad
• Food safety

What's the Story on this Carrot Salad?

Some years ago, my daughter married a charming Armenian who can cook like there is no tomorrow. Over the years, Vahe has introduced us to the foods and culinary traditions of his native country, and one of my favorites are Armenian Eggplant Rolls. These delicious little carrot-stuffed beauties, wrapped in long strips of garlic-infused fried eggplant, hit all the best savory buttons. They are amazing.

But much as I love eating eggplant rolls, I'm not a fan of making them. The original recipe is heavy on oil (eggplants are real sponges when you fry them!), and somewhat labor intensive. Instead, I created this Eggplant & Carrot Salad: a simple recipe deconstruction, really. It tastes great, cuts the fat to almost nothing, and is very easy to make.

Carrot & Eggplant Salad Ingredients

Armenian Carrot Salad requires a short list of clean, fresh ingredients.

• Carrots: Use regular carrots; the sweeter the better. Avoid using "baby carrots" - they tend to be bland. Carrots should be peeled and coarsely grated.
• Eggplant: We use a globe, or American eggplant for this salad. Peel and cut eggplant into ½-inch cubes.
• Cilantro: Use rough-chopped fresh cilantro. (If cilantro is on your personal No List, you can sub in fresh basil or mint.)
• Edamame: We usually use frozen edamame for this recipe.
• Walnuts: Finely chop the walnuts. You want them to absorb the moisture from the carrots and sour cream.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic, and don't get too carried away. (I see you, garlic-doublers.)
• Sour cream: We prefer to use full fat sour cream, but any sour cream will work. It acts as a binder, so non-fat sour cream can leave the salad a bit soggy.
• Kosher salt

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make this Recipe

Roast Eggplant

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Peel and cut eggplant into ½-inch cubes.

Toss the cubed eggplant in 2 tablespoons of oil. Distribute eggplant evenly over the lined baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes; until eggplant is fully cooked.

Remove eggplant from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Mix Salad

Mix together all of the ingredients except eggplant.

Gently fold in chopped roasted eggplant.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

To serve, garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

Hint: We usually make this a day ahead of time, and refrigerate overnight.

Substitutions

Vegan: You can easily make this carrot salad recipe vegan-friendly by substituting a vegan sour cream.

Other carrot-forward vegetarian and vegan-friendly salad recipes we love include Kale & Carrot Salad and Moroccan Carrot Salad.

More Carrot Salad Recipes

Food safety

• Use separate cutting boards and utensils for produce and for raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Store this salad in the refrigerator in an air-tight, covered container for up to 4 days.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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Originally published August 6, 2013. The post has been updated with new images, content, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.