A homemade Aubergine Stew or Eggplant Caponata is one of my favourite summer recipes. A traditional dish from Sicily, it's deliciously savoury, sweet and sour all at the same time thanks to the combination of olives, salty capers and sweet raisins. Packed with flavour and easy to make, this Sicilian stew can be served on its own or as a side to chicken or fish dishes.

A Caponata is a traditional aubergine or eggplant-based dish from Sicily, an island off the coast of Italy. There are also similar Greek and Spanish versions. Like many traditional dishes, there's no definitive recipe.
Aubergines are easy to cook with and have a natural creamy texture. For a chunky pasta sauce with aubergine, try my Pasta Sauce with Mediterranean veg, or for a spicy aubergine recipe, you'll love my Aubergine and Chickpea Curry.
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Ingredients
These are typical ingredients for an Aubergine Stew.
- Aubergine /Eggplant - look for aubergines with a shiny dark skin
- Red onion - this adds a little sweetness
- Capers - usually come pickled in a jar. They are small pickled flower buds that have a distinctive salty taste.
- Red wine vinegar - this helps balance he flavours.
- Green olives - these are a traditional ingredient. Look for pitted (stone removed).
- Brown sugar - I've used sugar in this recipe to keep it suitable for vegans. You can use the same quantity of honey.
- Raisins or Sultanas - these add a lovely sweetness and are traditional ingredients in an Aubergine Stew or Caponata. They show the Arab and Middle Eastern influence in Sicily.
- Tinned or Canned tomatoes - I've used tinned tomatoes in this recipe to ensure the right consistency of the sauce. If you are lucky enough to have lovely juicy fresh tomatoes, feel free to use these instead.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
For the recipe, I find that roasting the aubergines works best. It uses less oil, is far less greasy and gives the aubergines a nice caramelized texture.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Place the diced aubergine in a baking tray or sheet pan. Drizzle over around two-thirds of the olive oil and stir well so the cubes are well coated. Roast on the middle shelf for 20 - 25 minutes.
At the same time, fry the onion and pepper in the remaining olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.
Add the red wine vinegar and keep stirring until the vinegar has evaporated. This should take around one minute.
Add the tinned or canned tomatoes, capers, olives, raisins, sugar, most of the parsley, and season with a dash of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the roasted aubergine and simmer for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
Ideally, let it cool then serve with the remaining parsley and top with pine nuts or almond flakes (optional).
Hint: Caponata is one of those recipes that tastes better the next day, once the flavours have had time to infuse. Store it in the fridge overnight. For the best flavours serve it at room temperature or just warmed, but not hot.
Variations
As there is no definitive Caponata or Aubergine Stew recipe, there are a few common changes you can make.
- Chickpeas - some people like to add chickpeas. This makes the dish go further and is budget-friendly. Use hydrated chickpeas in water and drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding to the stew.
- Greek - some versions of this dish come from Greece. You can crumble some feta cheese over the top and use fresh mint for a more authentic Greek version.
- Herbs - I've made this version with fresh parsley, but you could also use fresh basil or fresh mint according to your personal preference.
- Spicy - some people like to add some chilli flakes to their Caponata. Add around 1 teaspoon with the onion and garlic.
Equipment
- A large baking tray
- Large frying pan or stove top casserole dish.
How to Serve
An Aubergine stew is very versatile and can be served warm or cold. However, many people think it is best served at room temperature or barely warm.
Main course - serve it with couscous, rice, pasta, or crusty bread.
Side dish - it goes well with fish or chicken. Try it with my Pan Fried Plaice Fillets or Grilled Haddock.
Toppings - top it with fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or fresh mint. Add a sprinkle of pine nuts or flaked almonds. The different herbs will bring distinctive different flavours. Parsley gives a peppery flavour, basil a more aniseed flavour and mint a fresh sweetness.
Appetizer - You can also serve it with croutons or bruschetta. Toast some fresh crusty bread, brush with a little olive oil, and top with the Caponata.
Green Tip! This is a great way to use up stale bread. Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle with a little olive oil, and toast on a tray. Stir into the Sicilian Stew.
Storage
Aubergine stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool first then transfer to a suitable container. Leave enough room for the caponata to expand once frozen.
Top tip
Make this a day in advance. The flavours will infuse and it will taste even better!
Sustainability
This is a great Summer recipe for using vegetables in season. Try to buy them loose where possible to reduce plastic. Take a tip from the Italians and turn stale bread into croutons and stir them in to avoid food waste.
FAQ
The need to salt aubergines before cooking them depends on what you want to achieve. Salting can help draw some of the moisture out and make them more tender. Aubergines also soak up a lot of oil when being pan-fried and salting helps to reduce this. In the past Aubergine varieties have been slightly bitter and were salted to reduce the bitterness. However, Aubergines grown today are not bitter so don't need salting for this reason. Many recipes nowadays don't bother with salting. If they do, or if you feel the need to do this, just cover with salt for around 30 minutes.
No, you can leave the skins on aubergines. Just wash them first. Trim the leaves and stalk off the top and trim the bottom.
Related
Looking for other Aubergine (Eggplant) recipes or vegan stews? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Aubergine Stew:
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📖 Recipe
Aubergine Stew (Sicilian Caponata)
Equipment
- 1 Baking Tray Large enough to roast the aubergine
- 1 Large Frying Pan or Stove top Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 Large Aubergines /Eggplant About 600g / 21 ounzes diced into 1 inch cubes.
- 5 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Red Onion diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Deseeded and cut into strips
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 800 g Tinned chopped tomatoes or canned
- 40 g Capers drained and rinsed
- 40 g Green Olives drained and rinsed
- 40 g Raisins or Sultanas
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 15g Fresh Parsley leaves and stalks chopped
- 1 dash Salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Place the diced aubergine in a baking tray or sheet pan. Drizzle over around two-thirds of the olive oil and stir well so the cubes are well coated. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes.2 Large Aubergines /Eggplant, 5 tablespoon Olive oil
- At the same time, fry the onion and pepper in the remaining olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.1 Red Onion, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 2 cloves Garlic
- Add the red wine vinegar and keep stirring until the vinegar has evaporated. This should take around one minute.3 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- Add the tinned or canned tomatoes, capers, olives, raisins, sugar, most of the parsley and season with a dash of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.800 g Tinned chopped tomatoes, 40 g Capers, 40 g Green Olives, 40 g Raisins, 1 tablespoon Sugar, 15g Fresh Parsley, 1 dash Salt
- Stir in the roasted aubergine and simmer for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
- Ideally let it cool then serve with the remaining parsley and top with pine nuts or almond flakes (optional).
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Aubergine /Eggplant - look for aubergines with a shiny dark skin
-
- Red onion - this adds a little sweetness
-
- Capers - usually come pickled in a jar. They are small pickled flower buds that have a distinctive salty taste.
-
- Red wine vinegar - this helps balance he flavours.
-
- Green olives - these are a traditional ingredient. Look for pitted (stone removed).
-
- Brown sugar - I've used sugar in this recipe to keep it suitable for vegans. You can use the same quantity of honey.
-
- Raisins or Sultanas - these add a lovely sweetness and are traditional ingredients in an Aubergine Stew or Caponata. They show the Arab and Middle Eastern influence in Sicily.
-
- Tinned or Canned tomatoes - I've used tinned tomatoes in this recipe to ensure the right consistency of the sauce. If you are lucky enough to have lovely juicy fresh tomatoes, feel free to use these instead.
Storage
Aubergine stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool first then transfer to a suitable container. Leave enough room for the caponata to expand once frozen.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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