The Best Lecho Salad ever!

This is just another simple reason why I’m so excited when the weekend comes around. New salad is going to join our table this Friday night! Lecho salad is a beautiful combination of eggplant, pepper, onion, (zucchini- I didn’t have on hand), which usually are sauteed in a hot pan until golden brown. But here we have a smart shortcut because we are going to bake it! Save time on dealing with the hot pan and stay healthier with controlling the amount of oil which we constantly need to add when sauteing an eggplant in a pan! And all this beautiful combination is tied together with a simple tomato sauce. The more this salad sits in the fridge the better it gets, that is why I love making it on Thursdays!

Ingredients: 

1 eggplant,  cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red bell pepper,  cut into cubes
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 jalapeno,  sliced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley

For the sauce:
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp organic ketchup
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions: 

1). Preheat oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit

2). Place all the cut vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3). Spray or drizzle oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper and roast until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.  Mix only once during the roasting process.

4). Prepare the sauce in a small bowl,  add to the roasted vegetables and mix while it’s hot. Adugst salt and pepper.  Cover well, place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to allow the flavors to marry.
Serve cold!

Enjoy!