Eggplant Caponata recipe with tomatoes, kalamata olives, garlic, onion, and fresh herbs. A delicious condiment for chicken, beef, pork, or side dish.
Christmas cookie season is over, and we’re making our return to normalcy. President Warren Harding-style.
The return to normalcy starts with this eggplant caponata recipe.
Have you tried caponata before?
Eggplant caponata is an flavorful Italian/Sicilian condiment, typically served on a baguette, bruschetta-style.
Ingredients for Eggplant Caponata:
The basic ingredients of an eggplant caponata are eggplant, tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, olives, and herbs.
From there, you can add sugar and raisins to balance out the brine-y tang, and add other ingredients to make it your own. A typical caponata is very oily by virtue of the fact that it’s served as a topper for bread.
I scaled back on the oil a tad, because let’s face it: I’m not wild about appetizers. Appetizers are just really bad food foreplay in my book. Gimme the meal, don’t tease me. And since we’re on the subject, the surest way of irking me is by using the term, “appy” or worse: “apps” ::shudder:: There was your daily lesson of What Not to Say in Front of Julia Lest She Uppercuts You. I’m really easy to get along with.
There are many options for serving up your caponata. I enjoyed it best atop spaghetti squash, and also loved it mixed it up with rice and beans.
Make this. You will be so good at life.
Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large eggplant peeled and chopped into 1” cubes
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives halved
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat ½ cup of the olive oil to medium and add the chopped eggplant. Toss the eggplant to evenly coat in oil. Sauté, stirring frequently, until eggplant has browned, begins cooking down, and is soft, about 10 minutes.
- Pour the eggplant into a bowl and set aside.
- Place the skillet back on the stove and add ¼ cup of oil. Add the onion and celery and saute, stirring every couple of minutes, until veggies are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes (you want the eggplant to be soft, but still maintain its form).
- Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. Bring mixture to a full boil, reduce the heat, and allow the sauce to boil gently (uncovered) until much of the liquid has been reduced, about 15 minutes.
- Serve hot over spaghetti squash, toasted bread, or serve cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days – the caponata tastes better the longer it sits!
This looks simply fantastic; I can’t wait to try it!
I cannot resist eggplant- the dessert of vegetables!! Looks delish!
I adore caponata. And I’m a huge bread fiend so I could totally imagine myself smothering this veggie goodness all over a slice of toasted ciabatta. Yum. But the spaghetti squash idea sounds fascinating, I’ve never eaten spaghetti squash (I don’t think it’s sold over here) but I want to track some down soon!
I could use this meal right about now! too much booze and heavy food. I’m an eggplant lover and this meal pretty much has everything I love in it! Pass me a fork
Oh Im in desperate need of veggies (even those that arent so nutrient rich… Its better than eating leftover Christmas cookies for dinner, right? 😉 This looks delicious!
ahh eggplant is one of my faves! This looks delicious! Yea, not much in the way of vitamins in those old eggplants, although I heard recently eggplants have phytochemicals…kinda like antioxidants I guess. Who knows, all I know is it is dang good! 🙂
I didn’t realize eggplants were so useless nutritionally, but they taste soooo good. I love appetizers, and my family actually does appetizers only for Christmas — this would’ve made a great addition.
This looks beautiful! Love veggies 🙂
Appetizers are like the poor man’s tapas, come on! At least we both agree that eggplant, is indeed, delicious 😀 Your caponata looks lovely.
I actually formed a habit of saying apps from waiting tables for five years but I promise not to ever say it on here again! 😉
Eggplants a funny vegetable and I don’t always like it, but it looks delicious like this! Well worth the tease.
You totally read my mind (again!)….I’ve been wanting to make (read, eat) caponata for weeks!!
We must be on the same wavelength, because I’ve been meaning to make tapenade and I just went to your site, and lo and behold, you posted a recipe for one. 😉 Let’s get together and EAT!
This look like just what I need. Veggies! Love it!
Dern straight! And after the caponata, we can down some of your insane-o churros with boozy chocolate sauce. All things in balance, correct? Correct.