This Roasted Eggplant and Butternut Squash with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce is a fantastic vegetarian main course. Make it for the holidays or dinner parties. Roast everything on one sheet pan.

Photography Credit: Sheryl Julian

You don’t need to work very hard to make this vegetarian dish look stunning. The vegetables are so colorful!

This is golden eggplant is the dish I make whenever we have company for dinner and there are vegetarians among us or I feel like something a little lighter is in order. Even the carnivores among us like a meatless meal once in a while, and besides, eggplant is such a meaty vegetable!

Our Favorite Videos Get Recipe »

I roast the eggplant halves in a very hot oven until they char, and then serve them topped them with more vegetables and a yogurt-tahini sauce. Right now, I’m using roasted butternut squash and red onions for the vegetables, but you can also use whatever vegetables are in season.

Every once in a while, you get an eggplant that’s bitter, and it’s impossible to tell which ones they are just by looking. To avoid any potential bitterness in your finished dish, salt the halved eggplants and let the juices run out. Then rinse and pat dry before cooking.

It’s a quick step – called “degorger” in French – and it’s worth the extra time you have to wait.

Serve the cooked, charred eggplant with pilaf on the side, and you have a satisfying supper with vibrant colors, a little heat, crunch, aromatics, and a cooling sauce. The guests at my table are always delighted.