Eggplant Caponata

caponata is the sicilian sweet and sour eggplant dish that makes you want to put it on absolutely everything🍆🌶️ eggplant, cherry tomatoes, peppers, capers, and red wine vinegar all cooked down into this deeply savory, jammy, slightly tangy situation that only gets better as it sits. serve on a crostini, over rice, or as a side. 🫶

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2-3 mini sweet peppers, roughly chopped

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp capers, drained

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp sugar

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Fresh basil or parsley, chiffonade, to garnish

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Serves 4-6

Prep time ~15 mins

Cook time ~40 mins

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Cooking Instructions

WASH YOUR VEGGIES

• Wash and prep your eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and basil before getting started.

Salt and roast the eggplant

• Cube eggplant and toss generously with salt. Let sit in a colander for 20–30 min to draw out excess moisture. Pat completely dry with paper towels.

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add eggplant in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and caramelized on all sides, about 8–10 min. Remove and set aside.

Build the caponata base

• In the same pan, add remaining olive oil. Sauté onion over medium heat for 5 min until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 min.

• Add sweet peppers and cook 3–4 min until softened.

• Stir in tomato paste and cook 2–3 min until it darkens slightly.

Simmer and finish

• Add cherry tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and sugar. Stir to combine and cook 5 min until tomatoes begin to break down.

• Return eggplant to the pan and add capers. Stir everything together and simmer on low for 10–15 min until the mixture is thick, jammy, and deeply flavorful. Season with salt and pepper.

• Remove from heat. Let rest at least 15 min before serving — caponata is best warm or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.

Tips & Notes

• Don't skip salting the eggplant — it removes bitterness and excess water so it caramelizes instead of steaming in the pan.

• Cook the eggplant in batches so it browns rather than steams — overcrowding the pan is the number one mistake.

• Caponata tastes significantly better the next day as the flavors meld — make it ahead if you can.

• The balance of sweet (sugar) and sour (red wine vinegar) is what makes this dish — taste and adjust before serving.

• Serve as a side dish, over rice, on toast, with pasta, alongside grilled meat, or just with a big piece of crusty bread.

• Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container — gets better every day.