This simple vegan eggplant recipe with chickpeas and tomatoes is all the comfort! And you'll love the Greek flavors thanks to a little extra virgin olive oil and a combination of warm spices including oregano, paprika, and a pinch of cinnamon.
Eggplant is one versatile ingredient you can use in many delicious and satisfying ways.
Roasted. Fried. Stuffed. In hearty dinners like eggplant rollatini, eggplant parmesan or moussaka. You can even make eggplant fries. Yes, I said fries!
You can also turn an eggplant into one wholesome stew like in today's vegan eggplant recipe with chickpeas and tomatoes.
I've been making a lot of simple vegan recipes from pantry staples lately, and this eggplant recipe totally fits the bill--easy, comforting, and it takes one pot.
Why this recipe works? The quick braising process cooks the eggplant to tender perfection, it seriously melts in your mouth. Plus, you'll love the Greek vibes thanks to a little extra virgin olive oil and earthy, warm flavors including oregano, paprika, and pinch of cinnamon.
A few important eggplant tips before we get to this tasty recipe.
Tips for buying and preparing eggplant
Some are intimidated by eggplant's spongy texture. And many worry about the likelihood that their eggplant dish will taste bitter. Regardless of what eggplant recipes you try, a few tips are helpful to follow before you start:
- Choose eggplants with smooth, shiny skin that are uniform in color. If the eggplant skin looks shriveled or somewhat discolored, do not buy it.
- Choose eggplants that are smaller and feel heavy for their size. Smaller eggplants tend to be less bitter and they have thinner skin and less seeds.
- Test your eggplant for ripeness before buying. Lightly press a finger against the skin and if it leaves an imprint, the eggplant is ripe.
- Salt your eggplant before cooking. I've talked about this before. Salt the cut eggplant and let it "sweat" for a few minutes (or an hour, if you have the time) before cooking. Some don't think this step is necessary, but it can help in a couple of different ways: salting will draw out moister and help break down the spongy texture of eggplant. It can also rid the eggplant of some of it's bitterness.
Ingredients for this Eggplant Stew
This recipe takes three humble ingredients--eggplant, chickpeas, and canned tomatoes--paired with a few spices and some extra virgin olive oil. Here's what you'll need:
- Eggplant- about 1 ½ pounds of globe eggplant (that's 1 large eggplant or 2 smaller ones)
- Yellow onion, green pepper, carrot, and garlic- these chopped veggies are sauteed with the spices in extra virgin olive oil to form the flavorful base for this recipe
- Spices and such- dry bay leaf, dry oregano, sweet paprika (or smoked paprika if you prefer), coriander, cinnamon, hint of turmeric, and black pepper. This combination of earthy and warm spices is really what makes this dish so comforting. If you don't have all the spices, don't let that deter you from making this easy dish. You can omit some of the spices and do more of the ones you have. (You can find all-natural and organic spices at our online shop).
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil to cook this vegan stew. And if you want the full Greek effect, drizzle some of this tasty EVOO to finish this comforting dish. (You can learn about this olive oil at our online shop here).
- Chopped Canned Tomatoes- one large can of chopped or diced tomatoes with their juices brings this stew together and provides sweetness and beautiful umami
- Chickpeas- canned chickpeas are a great option here. They're ready to use, no need to soak overnight.
- Fresh Parsley (optional)- If you have it, a little fresh parsley or mint is a great garnish to add to this dish. Totally optional.
Greek-style eggplant recipe: step-by-step
Step 1: Salt eggplant
Cut up the eggplant into cubes or large bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and leave in a large colander in your sink or over a bowl. Let it sweat for 20 to 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, then rinse and pat dry.
Step 2: Sautee chopped onions, veggies, and spices
Warm up some extra virgin olive oil and add onions, peppers and carrots. Toss around for a few minutes, then stir in garlic, bay leaf and spices (paprika, coriander, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper). Cook just briefly till fragrant.
This is this is where all the flavor in this recipe comes from.
Step 3: Add chopped tomatoes, eggplant, and chickpeas and bring to a boil
Now, pour in the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas (and chickpea liquid or water), and eggplant. Bring this party to a boil for a good 10 minutes (this is the start of the braising process).
Step 4: Transfer to oven
Now to finish cooking, cover the eggplant stew and transfer it to a 400 degree heated oven. Let it cook to tender perfection for another 45 minutes or so. Tip: be sure to check on the eggplant stew part-way through cooking, adding a little liquid if you feel it needs it.
Step 4: Serve
When ready, fish the eggplant stew with a generous drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO). Add a garnish of fresh parsley, if you like.
Transfer to serving bowl over my 15-minute couscous or just a side of warm pita bread. A dollop of Greek yogurt or even Tzatziki sauce and some olives make a great addition here. And, to keep with the Greek theme, you can start with a traditional Greek salad.
More eggplant recipes:
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Easy Greek-Style Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb eggplant cut into cubes
- Kosher salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper stem and innards removed, diced
- 1 carrot chopped
- 6 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon sweet paprika OR smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon organic ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon organic ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 28- oz can chopped tomato
- 2 15- oz cans chickpeas reserve the canning liquid
- Fresh herbs such as parsley and mint for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a large bowl or directly over your sink, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes or so to allow eggplant to "sweat out" any bitterness. Rinse with water and pat dry.
- In a large braiser, heat ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, peppers, and chopped carrot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic, bay leaf, spices, and a dash of salt. Cook another minute, stirring until fragrant.
- Now add eggplant, chopped tomato, chickpeas, and reserved chickpea liquid. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes or so. Stir often. Remove from stove top, cover and transfer to oven.
- Cook in oven for 45 minutes until eggplant is fully cooked through to very tender. (While eggplant is braising, be sure to check once or twice to see if more liquid is needed. If so, remove from oven briefly and stir in about ½ cup of water at a time.)
- When eggplant is ready, remove from oven and add a generous drizzle of Private Reserve EVOO, garnish with fresh herbs (parsley or mint). Serve hot or at room temperature with a side of Greek yogurt or even Tzatziki sauce and pita bread.
Video
Notes
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- Slow-cooker instructions: you can prepare the recipe up to step #3 as written. Then transfer ingredients to your slow cooker. Add 1 cup water and the remaining ingredients from step 4. Cook on low for 4 hours or until eggplant is very tender.
- Visit our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and all-natural and organic spices used in this recipe.
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers' benefit. Enjoy!
It is a great way to start the New Year. Made this last night at it taste great. It is a refreshing departure from eating meat and has lots of flavor and is very satisfying.
My first day of trying to eat the Mediterranean way. This was a great way to start—thank you! I had with with a little feta sprinkled on top and a whole wheat pita from Trader Joe’s. Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow and glad I made the whole batch so I can have some in the freezer. Thanks for making my first day painless!
So wonderful to hear it, Jocelyn! Welcome to The Mediterranean Dish. I hope you'll find many more recipes to try.
Why is there so much sodium in this recipe, I don't see anything except maybe the canned tomatoes and chick peas. But that much is unusual. But it's not going to stop me from making it. Lol
I made this tonight. Really good recipe. I added butternut squash, green beans and kale (using up garden produce). Also am serving over rice. It's a little reminiscent of an Armenian vegetable stew I make called Tourlu.
Oooh, thanks so much for sharing your additions Richard! I love that you made the recipe your own!
Do you think this can be frozen?
Yes, Danielle! If you have some leftovers, you can let them cool completely and freeze in a freezer-safe glass container. Thaw in fridge overnight, then heat over medium heat stove-top. I'd add a little more liquid when you heat.
This was fabulous! I increased the peppers, onions, and carrots, used water instead of the chickpea broth (as I had some in the freezer) but kept all else the same. REALLY yummy. Also made a great wrap filling. Loved that there were plenty of leftovers- enjoyed on its own with some yogurt, but also with cubed mozzarella, with feta, and, best of all, adding a handful of chopped chard and a squeeze of lime when reheating. Looking forward to making this often! Thank you
Thank you so much for sharing, Bonnie! Really appreciate the feedback.
I tried this when It was posted a while back. I omitted some of the spices (as I didn't have coriander and turmeric, nor did I include the carrot (we can only buy them in bags of 2 Kilos, and I rarely use them).
Even so, it was still extremely delicious.
Thank you.
Thanks so much for sharing, Yetta! I'm glad you were able to tailor the recipe to what you had on hand.
This was absolutely amazing!!! I cut the recipe in half since it's just me. Was so yummy and comforting. Filling yet healthy. Great fall time meal. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing, Jordan!
Fabulous dish! Threw a zucchini in to use it up, peeled & chopped fresh tomatoes and used white wine instead of water during braising. Kids loved it, husband loved it. All around winner. So warm and hearty. Served it with homemade naan and your tabouli recipe. Will make this again and again! Thank you!
Wonderful, Sarah! And thank you for sharing your ideas!
Absolutely delicious!!! I made it exactly as the recipe reads. I served it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and Greek pita...amazing, unique flavor!!!
Delicious! I didn’t change any ingredients and thought the flavor was very nice. I did have to cook it longer than suggested, perhaps I didn’t sweat the eggplant long enough, or could’ve take. Out the chickpea liquid?
Wonderful, Natalie! So glad you enjoyed it. Cooking time may vary from one kitchen to another...the important thing is that it turned out well for you 🙂
Followed exactly, it was delicious! Thank you!
Awesome!!
I made this with the Tzatziki recipe and it was amazing! The only changes i made were to add fresh dill to the Tzatziki recipi. I also warmed the pita in the oven for a few min at the end. I will definitely be making this again!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing
This was so delish!! I double the oregano because I love this spice. I added in an extra carrot to get some extra thickness. I also stewed fresh tomatoes instead of using the canned ones. But overall , I loved the aroma that permeated the kitchen while it was on the stove top and then later in the oven. I served over rice because this was a last minute decision to make and didn't have pita bread. Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes!
Ciara, thank you so much for sharing your adaptation of this recipe! Always love to hear good ideas!
This was absolutely delicious! The Seasonings are amazing and if course, the flavor is even better the next day! Second day, added in corn niblets, cooked farro, roasted broccoli and Cauliflower.
Thanks so much, Patti! I liked how you changed up the next day. Gonna give that a try!
Made it and the tzatziki recipe. It is sooooo yummy. Thank you.
Awesome, Sandra! this is one I really love!