Light eggplants without oil, a vegetable side dish also ideal for dressing pasta or stuffing sandwiches and focaccias. Eggplants are a versatile vegetable rich in nutrients like iron, providing few calories and therefore suitable for many dietary regimens.
They are prepared in minutes with very simple but tasty ingredients like garlic, chili pepper, and parsley. We do not add oil during cooking so you can consume them without added fats if your diet requires it, or with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil at the end of cooking to enhance their already strong flavor.
Light eggplants without oil can be the base for other fantastic dishes like eggplant meatballs. For their preparation, we can use any variety of eggplant we like best; I always recommend the long ones because their skin allows us to keep the eggplant cubes intact during cooking.
This is truly an ideal dish for the summer season. They are very good served hot but can also be appreciated at room temperature, making them perfect for carrying along during a lunch break.
For a great cold pasta, just add these eggplants to boiled pasta, enrich everything with a generous sprinkle of salted ricotta, and we’ll have a great, light dish that’s easy to carry to the beach or work.
For vegetable lovers who can serve it as a main dish or side dish, I can also recommend
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 45.15 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.33 (g) of which sugars 3.55 (g)
- Proteins 1.83 (g)
- Fat 0.40 (g) of which saturated 0.07 (g)of which unsaturated 0.21 (g)
- Fibers 3.80 (g)
- Sodium 268.55 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 108 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants (medium/large)
- 10.5 oz tomato pulp
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste coarse salt
- to taste chili pepper
- 1 sprig thyme
- 6 leaves basil (approximately)
- 5 oz water
Tools
For cooking, I recommend a stone skillet with high sides and a glass lid, 11–12 inches in diameter
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
Preparation
Wash the eggplants thoroughly under running water and remove the stem, then cut them in half lengthwise. Divide each half into at least 8 wedges, then reduce them to chunks as you see in the photo. Place the eggplant chunks in the pan, add salt, chili pepper, tomato pulp, thyme, and basil. Close with the lid and place over high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring at least once. The eggplants should cook and roast a little but not burn. When they are nicely scorched, add the water, lower the heat a bit but not to the minimum, they should simmer, and bring them to the end of cooking. It will take about 20/25 minutes in total. The eggplant is cooked when it is soft when pierced with a fork, but it shouldn’t fall apart completely, so do not overcook.
NOTES
The skillet eggplants can be prepared in advance and keep well in the refrigerator for about 3 days if stored in covered containers.
I’ve already mentioned that you can fill pasta with these eggplants, but you can also prepare great bruschetta with toasted bread and crackers, add them to your poké, or serve them as a side dish.
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