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Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet |  |
Whole Food, Fresh & Flexible. Weeknight Easy Vegetarian Supper, Perfect for Meatless Monday & More. Another Quick Supper, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Low Fat. Naturally Gluten Free.
COMPLIMENTS!
- "We loved this!" ~ Alanna
Reader Recipe: An Oldie But Goodie
Many thanks to reader Lou Grubaugh who forwarded this recipe, calling it an “oldie but goodie”.
The Oldie? The source is a 25-year old 1987 Sunset Recipe Annual where the headnotes read, “Alone, eggplant is unassertive, but in the proper company, this retiring vegetable grows bold.”
The Goodie? Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet has many of the same ingredients as Ratatouille and Caponata yet turns out an entirely different dish, the way a poached egg is nothing like a scrambled egg and a hot dog is a far cry from a pork chop.
Twenty-five years from now, let’s hope that people will still be sharing this recipe. That would make a Really Old Oldie and a Really Good Goodie.
About This Recipe
- Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet is a one-pot vegetarian dinner, light and healthy, packed with vegetables offset by warm, tangy feta. It tastes especially good after eating heavier, richer foods on the weekend, on vacation, over the holidays.
- Distinctive Ingredients = eggplant + zucchini + tomato + feta
- Short Ingredient List = olive oil + onion + garlic + eggplant + dried basil + zucchini + fresh or canned tomato + feta cheese + salt & pepper
- Want to add more vegetables? Think about bell peppers, cooked artichokes, mushrooms, fava beans and for additional protein, chickpeas.
- This is an attractive dish, with big pieces of colorful vegetables topped with snowy-white feta.
- This is a time-friendly recipe, it takes about 45 minutes to put this dish on the table but less than half that is hands-on.
- This is pantry-friendly recipe, you might need to pick up eggplant, zucchini and feta but at least in my kitchen, these are vegetables often on hand, whether there's a dinner plan or not.
- This is a calorie-friendly recipe, a full cup (that is, an entrée serving) adds up to about 118 calories per cup. I do recommend serving it with a side dish or "under dish" such as rice, polenta or grits.
- This is a budget-friendly recipe, no fancy ingredients, just fresh vegetables and some feta.
- The recipe yields about 5 cups, that's about 10 side dishes or 5 main dish servings.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for two to three days, just rewarm gently in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended.
What Makes This Recipe "Mediterranean"?
People who follow a Mediterranean diet have lower risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lower risk of early death. Research shows that a Mediterranean diet may be the most healthy way to eat.
It draws on cuisines from countries and cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, usually that's defined as Greek food, Italian food, Spanish food, Portugese food, Middle Eastern food plus to a lesser extent, French food especially from the southern region of Provence.
The eating regime leans on generous amounts of fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish and nuts and much reduced amounts of red meat, processed foods, sugar and saturated fats.
The thing is, none of us can "just buy" a Mediterranean diet because it's not one specific thing. It's about whole food, not food products. For people who cook nearly all their food at home, a Mediterranean diet is definitely something to embrace.
Even one recipe at a time!
This recipe earns a "Mediterranean" name thanks to its choice of vegetables and creamy feta cheese.
You'll Love Mediterranean Eggplant Skillet If ...
- you're building a repertoire of year-round vegetarian recipes
- pretty purple eggplant are so tempting!
- the day calls for a light but filling, satisfying supper
- cooking time is short
- dishwashing is a chore
Bookmark! PIN! Share!
How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this this vegetarian Quick Supper recipe hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...
QUICK SUPPER: MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT SKILLET
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 5 cups
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, cut in large pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 globe eggplant, about 1 pound, cut in one-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon dry basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil ribbons
- 1 zucchini, about 1/2 pound, cut in thick half moons
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes (see TIPS)
- 3/4 cup (2.5oz/70g) feta cheese, crumbled
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish, optional
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil until shimmery on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir to coat with fat, then cook until the onion begins to turn color, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the eggplant and basil. Cover and cook until the eggplant begins to turn color, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the eggplant and zucchini are almost completely cooked, stirring occasionally.
Stir in tomato and heat through. Just before serving (see TIPS), stir in the feta and season to taste.
Serve hot as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish with Oven-Baked Brown Rice or Garlicky Polenta.
For a creamy sauce, stir the feta cheese in with the tomatoes. But for bright bursts of sharp feta, stir it in just before serving so the crumbles won’t completely melt. My favorite! Stir gently so not to break up the vegetable pieces too much, you don’t want Mediterranean Mush.
FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more.
If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2012/01/mediterranean-eggplant.html .
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1/2 & PointsPlus 2/3 & SmartPoints 2/5 & Freestyle 1/2 & myWW green 1/2 & blue 1/2 & purple 1/2 & future WW points CALORIE COUNTERS & OPTAVIA WHOLE-FOOD 100-calorie serving = 13 tablespoons, a generous 3/4 cup This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with reductions in fat and increases in crunch and nutrition from extra vegetables.Seasonal Cooking: Slimming Down After the Holidays
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Shop Your Pantry First
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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.
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2012, 2013, 2019, 2020 (repub) & 2023
I love the sound of this, just loaded with my favorite flavors!
ReplyDeleteHi Alanna,
ReplyDeleteI was reading one of your other recipes - one for a parsnip soup - where you said, "I've long been a seasonal cook: no tomatoes in February, no parsnips in August, no asparagus in November." Where do you get eggplants and zucchini this time of year in St. Louis?
Ahhh ... the quandary of seasonal eating in a northern climate. As you might guess, the eggplant and zucchini are from the grocery, imported from somewhere. Our CSA is bringing us local greens and potatoes and carrots still however.
ReplyDeleteSeasonal eating, to me anyway, also means adapting to the seasons. In winter that means focusing on what's available, what is somehow right for the season (here, a light, healthy dish after the holidays) as much as, maybe more than, what's "local".
Thanks for the chance to think on this for a bit. What is your OWN thought?
I don't mean to be difficult, but I don't really see the contradiction in eating light and healthy and eating locally and/or in season in winter. I also live in a northern clime, but fortunately for me, I love winter produce. Right now, this means lots of squash (spaghetti, red kuri, acorn, butternut, kabocha, etc.), all different types of greens, beets, carrots, parsnips, kohlrabi, celery root, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, radishes, onions, homemade preserves made with the summer's bounty (including tomato sauce), beans, yogurt and eggs from a local dairy, lean proteins like chicken, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous ~ Your point is well-taken. Thanks for the challenge to my own practices. You sound as if you've really got it together, I'm impressed.
ReplyDeleteWe loved this! I used yellow squash instead of zucchini, but otherwise followed the recipe. Served over brown rice.
ReplyDelete