Healthy Eggplant Caponata: My Family’s New Favorite Recipe
I recently made a healthy Eggplant caponata, an Italian dish for my family- everyone LOVED it! This would make a good holiday dish as you can share it with many people; it’s budget-friendly and a satisfying cooked dinner option. I have made this dish low-fat as there’s a small amount of pine nuts and olives. However, you can adjust the amount of both to your preference. If you are fat-free, you can omit both of them. My daughters do not like olives; even without olives added, they loved this recipe.
This dish is very filling, thanks to the beans, large chunks of eggplant, and thick garlic and onion tomato sauce. Not to mention the medicinal punch that the onion and eight cloves of garlic pack! You can throw this Healthy Eggplant Caponata dish together quickly, and it takes minimal effort.
A quick tip about the healing power of eggplants is that they are excellent for reducing clots and thinning our blood! So, if you are dealing with any heart issues or pulmonary embolisms or have been prescribed blood thinners, bring eggplants into your diet regularly. And some people struggle to enjoy eggplants but with this Healthy Eggplant Caponata dish, you cannot go wrong! It is hearty and bursting with flavor. It is perfect for someone who is transitioning from a heavier Standard American Diet to a lighter, cleaner, and healthier plant-based diet.
Try making it with gluten-free pasta, such as this millet angel hair pasta from Big Green Organic or this rotini, elbow, and penne variety pack from ZENB, made completely from yellow peas! If you need a more healing side dish option, try steaming kabocha squash to accompany the caponata or serve it with a side salad. I have a great tomato herb dressing that would play nicely off of the Italian flavors. Make this healthy Eggplant Caponata dish a staple in your weekly family meals.
With peace,
Muneeza
Healthy Eggplant Caponata
Equipment
- 1 Large saute pan (GreenLife has a healthy ceramic set)
- 1 Small saute pan
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp veggie broth (or filtered water), I like Bonafide Provisions
- 1 cup veggie broth
- 1 yellow or sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 eggplant (medium to large size), cut into ~1/2 inch cubes
- 8 medium garlic cloves
- 16 ounces tomato sauce, try this one by Bionaturae
- 2 cups white beans, drained (cannellini, butter, or navy beans)
- ⅓ cup raisins
- ¼ cup olives I reccomend these by Botjia
- ⅓ cup basil, finely chopped
- 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt (optional)
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional if staying fat-free)
Instructions
- Add the onions and garlic to the saute pan on medium and add 1 tbsp of veggie broth or water to prevent sticking.
- Once softened, add in the eggplant and let that cook for about 9 - 10 minutes. Add a cup of veggie broth and let the eggplant cook in that.
- Next add in the tomato sauce, the beans, raisins, and sea salt if you are using.
- Cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens and the eggplant becomes super soft for about 15 - 20 minutes.
- Next, toast the pine nuts if you are using them. If you would like to keep this recipe fat-free, you can do so by leaving them out. It's such a small amount of pine nuts for the whole dish, so you can include them if you are giving yourself a treat or making this for the holidays or to serve guests.
- Similarly with olives. If you are leaving them out, no problem. But if you choose to, you can add an even smaller amount for flavor. Regardless, I have made this dish without the pine nuts or the olives (my kids don’t like olives at all) and the whole family has LOVED it.
- Serve with a sprinkle of finely chopped basil and olives if you are using. Read below for serving options.
Notes
- Steamed kabocha squash
- Mashed potatoes, like my creamy rosemary garlic recipe
- Gluten-free pasta (try this millet angel-hair pasta by Big Green Organic)
- Gluten-free Bread (I like Earth’s Garden Vegan for a clean gluten-free bread that is very low fat, psyllium husk-free (can be hard on those with tummy issues), gum-free, gluten-free, plant-based, corn-free, and soy-free)
