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.
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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. It tastes great, cuts the fat to almost nothing, and is simple and easy to make.
Ingredients for Carrot & Eggplant Salad
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 Carrot Salad Recipe
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 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 it overnight.
Variations
Vegan: You can easily make this carrot salad recipe vegan-friendly by substituting a vegan sour cream.
More Carrot Salad Recipes
Other carrot-forward salad recipes we love include Kale & Carrot Salad, Moroccan Carrot Salad, and Grammi's Sunshine Salad.
What to Serve with Eggplant & Carrot Salad
Armenian Eggplant & Carrot Salad goes well with soups and cold and grilled sandwiches, and is great for packing in a picnic. Here are a few of our favorite dishes to serve it with:
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Armenian Eggplant & Carrot Salad
Equipment
- 1 vegetable grater
Ingredients
- 4 cups grated carrots about 1 pound
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- ½ cup shelled edamame optional
- ⅓ cup walnuts finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt or to taste
- 1 large eggplant globe (i.e., aubergine, or American eggplant)
Instructions
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 cubed eggplant in 2 tablespoons of oil. Distribute evenly over the lined baking sheet.
- Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes; until eggplant is cooked.
- Remove eggplant from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Mix Salad
- Mix together all of the ingredients except eggplant, using only enough sour cream to moisten the mixture. Gently fold in roasted eggplant cubes.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. I usually make this a day ahead of time, and refrigerate overnight.
- To serve, garnish with additional chopped cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Love it? Pin it! If you love this Carrot Salad recipe, be sure to save it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
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.
Aubrie LeGault says
Love that bright blue bowl you used!
Heather says
This sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing at Good Tastes Tuesday!
Poppy says
Yum! I love the Armenian influence. I have an Armenian friend and his mum cooks the most flavoursome veggie food ever! I will try this with soya sour cream alternative! Poppy - from SITS 😀
Renée ♥ says
Thanks for stopping by, Poppy!