Greek Style Braised Eggplant

This heartwarming veggie delight for Greek Style Braised Eggplant is cold-weather comfort food that takes your taste buds around the world! #KitchenTravel. 

If you are looking for a vegetable power packed disk, look no further! The Greek Style Braised Eggplant is perfect for chillier months while still being incredibly healthy and tasty. This dish is very versatile as well, since it can be served as an appetizer with Italian bread, or as a side and main course depending on your crowd!

This plant based dish combines ingredients such as chickpeas, canned tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers that are sure to satisfy your Mediterranean cravings. Additionally, the chickpeas will help satiate as they are packed with protein! With the addition of garlic, turmeric and black pepper it will be a party in your mouth while providing your body with incredible anti-inflammatory benefits.

While this recipe has many delicious components, the real star is the addition of canned tomatoes. Not only do they add great flavor, but they also include plenty of nutrients! Tomatoes contain a substance called lycopene, which gives the tomato its vibrant color; it is also great for your skin, heart health, decrease risk for cancer and lung health. Additionally, they provide essential antioxidants that have been found to positively impact hypertension. Research suggests that this is because fruits and vegetables contain a wide variety of antioxidants that work together and create a powerful chain of antioxidants. That’s why we love canned tomatoes! They are rich in antioxidants, and contain lycopene in addition to other phytochemicals (like beta carotene) that can work together to prevent disease.

So, what are you waiting for? Try out this recipe for maximum flavor and health! 

Yield: 6 servings

Greek Style Braised Eggplant

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This heartwarming veggie delight is cold-weather comfort food that takes your taste buds around the world! #KitchenTravel. 

Cook Time 20 minutes

Prep Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs. eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt, as needed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomato
• 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained but reserve the canning liquid
• parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Place the eggplant in a colander over the sink. Sprinkle salt over the eggplant and set it aside for 20 minutes. Rinse the eggplant with water and pat dry.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe pan over medium high-heat. Add in the onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add in the garlic, bay leaves, paprika, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, and salt to taste. Continue cooking for 1 minute.
4. Add in the eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas with reserved chickpea liquid. Mix to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan and transfer it into the oven. Bake it for 45 minutes until the eggplant is very tender.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Drizzle olive oil on top and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
   

For other delicious tomato-based recipes, check out some of our favorites:

Walnut and Mushroom Ragu
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Huevos Rancheros