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!
I've made this dish twice now in one week. It's super easy to prep. I actually didn't have oregano so I substituted cumin, which is a personal favorite. The dish was so flavorful and the veggies melt in your mouth. It's perfect by itself, with cheese, or with other things. And you feel very light after. Great dish to own!
So glad to hear it, Lauren! Thank you so much for sharing
I made this dish in my instant pot and it was delicious and so easy. So many good flavors. I will definitely keep this in my rotation.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it!
I'm really excited to try this dish, and would love to make this in my instant pot, coud anyone provide suggestions on how long to cook, on what setting and if it should be sealed? Thanks so much!
While I haven’t tried this particular recipe in an instant pot, I think you could use the sautee option first, then cook on manual 20 mins or so. Again, this is just my guess. Hopefully another reader can offer some advice.
Very very good
Thank you!
We made this after having an abundance of eggplant and were not disappointed! We left out the oil as I need to avoid too much fat but it was still great. I love that it wasn’t overly complicated or difficult but still delivered lots of flavour. We will be making this again for sure. Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Kelsey!
Man, this was fantastic!!! I'm a vegetarian but adding more plant-based meals throughout the week, and my husband had 2 bowls. This was so, so good. I added castelvetrano olives (because I love them) and served w/ couscous.
Thanks a lot, I can't wait to make another one of your recipes.
Wonderful, Lauren! So glad this worked out well for you
So good! I just started cooking with eggplant (i used to be very intimidated by it). I ended up adding kalamata olives and they were just the right touch!
Thanks, Cara!! I feel like a lot of people are intimidated by eggplant, but there's really no need to be, right?
Super easy recipe! All vegetables organic and from our local Farmer's Market. Doubled the batch on this recipe. Use all these spices often. Grew up with them in my mom's kitchen 🙂 Loved how quickly it came together. I added some red pepper flakes to give it a kick and served it with Garlic bread. A winner!!!
Definitely a repeat recipe!
Thanks so much
Kat
That sounds like such a wonderful meal! Thanks for sharing, Kat!
I also was curious to find other different recipes to make with our overflow of eggplants....This was FABULOUS!!! I doubled the recipe (and then some) and made it in our very large Staub Dutch oven. All the vegetables used were from our garden, the tomatoes my husband canned last season, and I decided to use fresh oregano from our herb garden. The rest of the herbs/spices were dried organic. Oh. My. Goodness!!!! We had friends over, one being a vegetarian and they LOVED it!!! Since I made such a big batch and saw it freezes well, I packaged some up in an airtight glass container and froze some for later...as well as keeping some in the frig for dinner tomorrow too. The house smelled amazing and I am so grateful to have found this recipe. A Keeper for sure!!
Thank you so much for sharing, Lara!!! Hope you're able to try out some of our other eggplant recipes with your crop! Would love to hear your thoughts!
Winner!!! I hesitated to make this recipe because of a combination of spices that I was totally unfamiliar with using in one dish. Boy am I glad I tried this this The house smelled so great while cooking and the taste was like eating in the best Greek restaurant(FYI: I've eaten in some of the best NYC Greek restaurants). I served it with Tzatziki Sauce and pita and I even asked Alexa to play Greek music. We enjoyed our dinner and can't wait to sit down and eat it again.
That sounds like a lovely evening, Jane! Thanks for sharing!
This was a super easy dish that the whole family enjoyed. Even the kids ?. I juggle the dietary needs of different members of the family and this hits the mark on all of them. Thanks
That is great to hear! Thanks, Joe!
I don't have a braiser- can I use a Dutch Oven, or should I use a regular oven safe pot instead?
Either would work just fine, Michael!
I didn't have green pepper so I skipped it but this was absolutely amazing! We ate it with some tzatziki sauce and couldn't stop eating it.
So glad, Becky! Thanks for sharing!
I’m not greek nor vegan, but this tasted like comfort food.
I skipped the pepper and cardammom-somce i didn’t have any, , but added extra carotts.
Definitively would do it again.
Thanks for sharing, Hugues!
This looks delicious, For the canned tomatoes, is it with the liquid?
Enjoy! Yes, use the canned tomatoes with their liquid
Can you just simmer it instead of having it go in the oven?
You can, Charlotte. Watch the liquid and add as needed.
The aroma of this dish in the oven is amazing! Thank you, I'm dreaming of Greece!
I made this for dinner and it was a hit with my meat-loving family. It is so flavorful! I served it with tzatziki and pita bread and it went so well together. If you put the tzatziki right in the stew it makes it creamy and so yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Yum! Thanks for sharing the tzatziki tip :).