The Easiest Stewed Eggplant Recipe (One Pot)
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases.
This one pot stewed eggplant recipe is a delicious and easy vegetarian side dish. Made with simple ingredients and packed with flavor, this dish is inspired by an Italian eggplant recipe straight from Rome.
Italian Stewed Eggplant Ingredients
Lucky for me, I recently went on a wonderful vacation to Greece and Italy. While in Rome, I had the most amazing lunch in the Monti district. Two of my sisters (and a bonus sister for the week) chose a variety of dishes to share.
We gorged ourselves on appetizers, pastas, and delicious side dishes including this Italian eggplant recipe that the waiter recommended. As it turns out, the eggplant stew was my favorite part of the meal.
The eggplant was cooked in a tomato-based sauce, and it had such an awesome texture with little bits of crunchy breadcrumbs. It was such an interesting combination of soft eggplant and crunchy croutons. I knew I had to recreate this recipe as soon as I got home. Here are the ingredients you need to make this stewed eggplant dish:
- Fresh Eggplant
- Salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Green Onions
- Minced Garlic
- Diced San Marzano Tomatoes
- Paprika
- Chili Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Sugar
- Black Pepper
- Sliced Bread
Stewed Eggplant Recipe
This recipe actually calls for a two-step cooking process. After salting and draining the excess moisture, the diced eggplant gets fried up in olive oil until golden brown. That’s step one.
Step two is when you add all the flavors with spices, herbs, diced San Marzano tomatoes to the eggplant, and let it simmer until all the flavor melds together.
Do not skip adding the bread crumbs toasted in olive oil. This also changes the flavor profile to take it over the edge.
How to make stewed eggplant?
Step by Step Instructions
- Cut washed eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Leave the peel on.
- Layer the cubed eggplant in a colander, sprinkle heavily with salt. Let sit for 15 – 30 minutes or until the moisture starts to come out of the eggplant, and the eggplant “sweats.”
- Take paper towels to pat the eggplant to absorb the extra moisture.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, and brown on all sides. If the skillet is too full, brown the eggplant in two batches – you may need additional olive oil.. Remove eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add an additional 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet; add diced onions, and heat until softened. Add 3 cloves garlic, and heat for 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, dried oregano, paprika, chili powder, sugar and browned eggplant into the pan. Stir well.
- Simmer over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally for approximately 15 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
- Meanwhile, place dried bread slices into a food processor and pulse (or put into a zip-lock bag, and crush with a rolling pin) until you get bread crumbs. Leave some of the crumbs in larger pieces for more texture.
- Heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs, and stir until coated. Heat until golden brown but not burnt.
- Before serving, stir the browned bread crumbs into stewed eggplant. If desired, drizzle with good olive oil.
Storage Instructions
Let the leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for Italian eggplant stew, scroll the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe FAQs
- I typically use an American eggplant (globe eggplant), but feel free to use whatever variety you have on hand.
- This is the perfect way to use old bread. If your bread isn’t quite stale or dry yet, put it in a warm oven for a few minutes to dry it out.
- For an easy route, I drop the stale bread into my food processor to give a few pulses. If you don’t have a food processor, place the bread into the zip lock bag, and crunch up with something heavy such as a rolling pin.
- Don’t worry if your sauce is thin because the breadcrumbs will thicken it up.
Recipe Variations
- If you can’t find canned San Marzano tomatoes, use regular canned tomatoes. Or, if you can only find whole San Marzano tomatoes, be sure to crush them up in a food processor or with clean hands before adding the to the eggplant stew.
- Instead of green onions, use yellow onions or white onions instead.
- If you don’t have dried oregano on hand, use dried basil or parsley instead.
- I always add a touch of sugar when using canned tomatoes to cut down the acidity. Use a sugar substitute, honey or maple syrup instead, if desired.
- I love using up a piece of stale bread. I use wheat bread, white bread, sourdough bread, French baguette, etc.
- Add other vegetables to your taste such as peppers, carrots, or celery.
- Switch up the spices as you please. An Italian seasoning blend would be an easy substitution. Add some spice with a few red pepper flakes.
- This would be absolutely tasty served with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Can you stew eggplant?
Yes, eggplant is the perfect ingredient to stew with tomatoes, onions and garlic. Making an eggplant stew is fast, affordable, versatile and tasty.
Is it necessary to peel eggplant before cooking?
No, eggplant peels are completely edible. Leave them on for a hit of fiber. If you are really adverse to eggplant peel, then go ahead and peel them before salting.
Eggplant Recipes
We love using eggplant in a variety of ways. Our kids are another story. It’s sometimes hard to get them to try different types of vegetables. Our friend, Liz, over at Farmwife Cooks shares some fun ways to get children to eat healthier options. Check out her Purple, Eating the Rainbow post featuring eggplant pizza.
Here are some of our other favorite ways to fix eggplant.
Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole
Kitchen Utensils
The Easiest Eggplant Stew Recipe (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 medium Eggplants Fresh
- Salt
- 5-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil divided
- 1/4 cup Green Onions up to 1/2 cup
- 3 cloves Minced Garlic
- 28 ounces Diced San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 slices Stale Bread
Instructions
- Cut washed eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Leave the peel on.
- Layer the cubed eggplant in a colander, sprinkle heavily with salt. Let sit for 15 – 30 minutes or until the moisture starts to come out of the eggplant, and the eggplant “sweats.”
- Take paper towels to pat the eggplant to absorb the extra moisture.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, and brown on all sides. If the skillet is too full, brown the eggplant in two batches. Add more oil before refilling the skillet. Remove eggplant.
- In the same skillet, add additional 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil and allow it to warm up. Add diced onions, and heat until softened. Add minced garlic, and heat for 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Do not burn the garlic.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, dried oregano, paprika, chili powder, sugar and browned eggplant. Stir well.
- Heat over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally for approximately 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place dried bread slices into a food processor and pulse (or put into a zip-lock bag, and crush with a rolling pin) until you get bread crumbs. Leave some of the crumbs in larger pieces for more texture.
- Heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs, and stir until coated. Heat until golden brown but not burnt.
- Before serving, stir in the browned bread crumbs. If desired, drizzle with good olive oil.
Notes
-
- I typically use an American eggplant (globe eggplant), but feel free to use whatever variety you have on hand.
- This is the perfect way to use old bread. If your bread isn’t quite stale or dry yet, put it in a warm oven for a few minutes to dry it out.
- For an easy route, I drop the stale bread into my food processor to give a few pulses. If you don’t have a food processor, place the bread into the zip lock bag, and crunch up with something heavy such as a rolling pin.
- Try these stewed tomatoes!
- The nutritional information is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.
Nutrition
