This eggplant caponata cooks in just 15 minutes, it's packed with flavors, gluten-free, and wholesome. It's a wonderful side dish or main vegan entre served over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
There's nothing like a funny meat quote. There is no meat in my eggplant caponata and I'm sorry to disappoint you, I don't have a funny meat quote either.
But I have a good recipe for all who despise the meat and all who are embarking on a Lenten journey.
In Sicily caponata is a popular, picturesque, and refreshing summer dish of eggplants and tomatoes a.k.a. “taste of Sicilian passionate kiss of the sun”.
With eggplant caponata, I'm bringing Sicily home and hoping the sun will tag along, but served warm alongside mashed potatoes or pasta I find it nourishing enough even for cold days.
I love how versatile this dish is: serve with crusty bread for a hearty appetizer, warm or cold, as a side dish or vegetarian main dish. The spiciness is perfectly paired up with the sweetness and nuttiness of the eggplant.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Green olives
- Capers (optional)
- Crushed red pepper
- Celery stalk
- Olive oil
- Vegetable oil
- Vinegar
- Basil (fresh or dry)
- Sugar
- Salt to taste
How to make it:
- Clean and dice eggplant, but do not peel. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
- In a saucepan sauté onions until softened. Add diced tomatoes with juices and cook until it thickens.
- Meanwhile, rinse eggplant with hot water (removes bitterness) and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a large skillet over high heat, heat the olive and vegetable oil. Quickly fry the eggplant pieces until browned.
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Add the chopped celery and fry for three more minutes.Pour in the tomato sauce, olives, capers, and salt to taste. Mix well and sauté for five minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, basil, and crushed red pepper. Lower heat; simmer for five minutes. Serve.
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Eggplant Caponata
Nourishing Sicilian vegetarian dish of eggplants and tomatoes is a bit spicy with just a right amount of sweet. You don't believe me? Try it!
Print
Rate
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 285kcal
Equipment
- saucepan
- Large nonstick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant large
- 1 onion small, diced
- 16 oz. diced tomatoes canned or fresh
- ⅓ cup pitted green olives sliced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon capers optional
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon basil fresh or dry
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean and dice eggplant, but do not peel. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
- In a saucepan sauté onions until softened. Add diced tomatoes with juices and cook until it thickens.
- Meanwhile, rinse eggplant with hot water (removes bitterness) and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a large skillet over high heat, heat the olive and vegetable oil. Quickly fry the eggplant pieces until browned.
- Add the chopped celery and fry for three more minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, olives, capers, and salt to taste. Mix well and sauté for five minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, basil, and crushed red pepper. Lower heat; simmer for five minutes. Serve.
Expert Tips
Serve with crusty bread for a hearty appetizer, warm or cold, as a side dish or vegetarian main dish alongside rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 668mg | Potassium: 1103mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 845IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 3mg
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All I can say is "YUM!" I looooooove eggplant!
Thanks for sharing at Talented Tuesday! Hope to see you again this week 🙂
😀
This sounds pretty good. A good time to try eggplant. Thank you for linking up to Party Time and we hope to see you again next week!
Thanks for stopping by!
This looks incredible! I'm drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We are so thrilled to have you at our party. Please stop by tonight at 7, so we can see your amazing projects. Lou Lou Girls
Thank you LLG! Hugs
This looks really yummy, I can imagine It would go really well with a nice crusty loaf of bread. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!! Laura@Baking in Pyjamas
Yes, it does! Thanks for stopping by!
Looks delicious! I've never made caponata, will have to give this a try and will definitely include the capers and green olives, yum. Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday!
It really tastes better than it looks, lol.
Thanks for linking up with Waiting on...Wednesday @ While I'm Waiting!
Have a great day!
I LOVE eggplant caponata!!! I like to eat it as a sandwich with some asiago cheese melted on top! It really is the perfect Lenten dish! Thank you so much for sharing at SYS and have a great weekend!!!
XO Barbara
Ohhh, cheese! Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Barbara!
Wow! Such a lovely dish! I wish to give your recipe a try!
Thank you, Marcela! Give it a try 🙂
Looks delicious and great for those meatless Mondays, etc. I think I would love mine on top of some polenta. Delish.I am sorry I missed Thursdays fun, this week went by so fast I completely forgot. Will try to hook up on Thursday this upcoming week. Sharing of course!
Oh, polenta! Yes, thanks for the reminder! I love sauteed peppers and onions over polenta so, naturally, caponata would pair up very well too. You're the best 😀
Yumm-o!! We made this last night along with some whitefish, very tasty!