Eggplant Sauté
Eggplant is one of the world’s most favorite vegetables. Whether it is Melanzana in Italy, Patlıcan in Turkey (pronounced pat-led-zhan), or Brinjal in India, our beloved Aubergine is a culinary star.
Simplicity is best when considering your next eggplant preparation. Would you prefer it hot or cold? Well, I love it at room temperature, unless the gooey cheese is in the picture. Would you like to grill, sauté, fry, bake, stew or roast? For me it all depends on the road I’d like to travel – easy, exciting, well-traveled, or unknown. Finally, which spices or herbs do you have on hand? Any aromatics? Fresh or canned tomatoes? Any veggies? No matter the answer, you’re in luck – everything and anything will work!
Eggplant Sauté is easy and it is quick…not fussy at all. It is great as a starter, a side dish, and even breakfast. Yes, breakfast. Last night’s eggplant sauté on toast with a fried egg on top. Why not?
Dressed up or dressed down, eggplants are always flavorful, and versatile. Please check out my Mediterranean Vegetable Dip or Simple and Savory Eggplant “Meatballs” for yet another road to travel.
P.S. Eggplant is one of the world’s most favorite vegetables. However, it is actually a nutrient rich berry…but that’s another story.
Eggplant Sauté
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 1 Yellow onion
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 Eggplant peeled and cut into cubes, approximately 1/2 inch each
- 2 Fresh Tomatoes seeded and diced
- 2 Bay leaves
- 3-4 Whole spice berries
- 3 cloves of Garlic 2 cloves minced. 1 clove crushed.
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Red Pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 cup Fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Fresh basil hand-torn
- 1 tsp Fresh Lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and bell peppers; sauté for 3 minutes.
- Reduce heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- Add the eggplant, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to
combine. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. - Turn off the heat. Remove bay leaves and any visible whole spice berries.
- Add parsley, basil, crushed garlic, and lemon juice. Combine with eggplant mixture. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.
This is delicious! I didn’t have the parsley and basil and didn’t want to go to the store, so I added a fair amount of dried mint at the simmer stage and then used fresh cilantro at the end. I’m enjoying it immensely right now.
Just an informational comment: there’s no way this recipe would feed 6 as a main course, at least not in my house. I added an extra 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 a green bell pepper, and I would say perhaps 3 servings. YMMV