Caponata

Caponata is a traditional Sicilian eggplant dish made with sautéed vegetables, vinegar, capers, and raisins. Think of it as Sicily’s version of ratatouille, but with a sweet and sour twist. This version was given to me by Gaetano Valente, an Italian chef and caterer, and it’s perfection—with olive-oil-soaked eggplant, just the right mix of sweet, tangy, and salty, and a handful of toasted pine nuts for crunch. It’s even better after a day in the fridge, so I love it for make-ahead meals, summer entertaining, or just having something delicious on hand for lunches and snacks.

There are so many ways to serve caponata. Spoon it over crostini, pile it onto grilled chicken, fish, or steak, or just serve it with good crusty bread as part of an appetizer spread. It also makes a great vegetarian main dish—try it over farro, couscous, or creamy polenta.

What You’ll Need To Make Caponata

• Eggplant, onion, celery, bell pepper & plum tomatoes: This is your veggie base. The eggplant turns silky and soaks up all the flavor, the onion and bell pepper add sweetness, the celery brings a little crunch, and the tomatoes make a bright, tangy sauce.
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper, tomato paste, sugar & red wine vinegar: These are your flavor builders. The oil gives the eggplant its richness, salt draws out moisture, tomato paste adds depth, sugar smooths the edges, and vinegar brings that signature sweet-and-sour kick.
• Green olives, capers & raisins: The salty-sweet-briny trifecta. Olives and capers give the dish its bold, punchy flavor, and the raisins add little bursts of sweetness.
• Pine nuts & fresh basil: You’ll stir these in at the end; the pine nuts add toasty crunch, and the basil brightens everything up.
• Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step 1: Salt and drain the eggplant. Place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle it with a teaspoon of salt, and let it sit for about an hour. This helps draw out moisture, tones down any bitterness, and keeps the eggplant from soaking up too much oil later. When time’s up, pat it dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel—really blot it well so it browns nicely when it hits the pan.

Step 2: Cook the eggplant. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Don’t skimp on the pan size—you want the eggplant to caramelize, not steam. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. It’ll shrink down a lot as it cooks—that’s totally normal. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step 3: Sauté the other veggies. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan, then toss in the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until everything softens up—about 5 minutes. If it starts to brown too much, just lower the heat a bit.

Step 4: Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, raisins, capers, and sugar. Cook for a few minutes to let the flavors blend, then add the vinegar and cook for another minute or two until it mostly cooks off. Return the eggplant to the pan, stir to combine, and let everything simmer on low for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Step 6: Finish and serve. Right before serving, stir in the pine nuts and basil. Taste and tweak with a little more salt, sugar, or vinegar, if necessary. Serve at room temp. The caponata can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!