Mediterranean Eggplant for Meatless Mondays & Beyond

Yes, it’s that time of year when we vow to make healthy eating choices. Start here, with a simple, wholesome vegetarian supper, just eggplant, zucchini and tomato with a little feta stirred in, quick to make and full of flavor. Weight Watchers, make this a year-round staple!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

An Oldie But Goodie

Many thanks to reader Lou Grubaugh who forwarded this recipe last fall, 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 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 fur 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.

---

QUICK SUPPER: MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT

Hands-on time: 20 minutes plus occasional stirring throughout
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
• 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

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.

ALANNA’s TIPS The original recipe called for a large, firm and ripe tomato, cored, seeded and chopped. In summer, a fresh tomato would be a great choice. But in winter? Canned tomatoes it shall be, no concession to flavor. For a creamy sauce, stir in the feta cheese with the tomatoes. But for bright bursts of sharp feta, stir it in just before serving so the crumbles won’t completely melt. Stir gently so not to break up the vegetable pieces too much, you don’t want Mediterranean Mush.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup (Side Dish)/Full Cup (Entrée): 59/118 Calories; 3/6g Tot Fat; 1/3g Sat Fat; 6/12mg Cholesterol; 142/285mg Sodium; 7/14g Carb; 3/5g Fiber; 3/7g Sugar; 2/5g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1/2 & PointsPlus 2/3 & SmartPoints 2/5 & Freestyle 1/2 CALORIE COUNTERS & MEDIFAST REAL-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: This Same Week, Across the Years

Beef Stew with Cranberries Tin Foil Chicken & Veggies Italian Lemon Chicken Oven-Baked Brown Rice Winter Tomato Soup Broiled Grapefruit Mediterranean Eggplant Why I Switched from Weight Watchers to Medifast

This Week, Elsewhere

Steamed Vegetable Medley
A Veggie Venture

---

More Healthy Vegetarian Recipes for Meatless Mondays

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more meatless main dishes ~
~ more vegetarian & vegan recipes ~

---

More Eggplant Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more eggplant recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Baba Ganoush ~
~ Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs ~
~ Eggplant Steaks ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ eggplant recipes ~
~ zucchini recipes ~
~ tomato recipes ~
~ cheese recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

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 via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. 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, 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.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2012, 2013 & 2019