Crockpot Caponata
This recipe is beyond easy - the biggest commitment is chopping the vegetables, once you have everything prepped, it spends several hours cooking in a slow cooker and is ready just in time for a warm and comforting lunch of dinner!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (minimum of 4qt, but larger will work)
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant, cut into 1” cubes
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp capers, rinsed
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp kosher or large grain sea salt
- ⅓ cup kalmata olives, pitted and chopped
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients as noted above and add everything to a slow cooker (you can use a 4qt one like I did and it will be a tight fit, feel free to use a larger one, especially if your eggplant are on the bigger side). Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Stirring the caponata after a few hours to ensure everything is mixed well.
- If you prefer to have some integrity left in the vegetables, aim for the lower end of the cook time. If you would rather have your vegetables meltingly soft, go for the longer end of the cook time.
- Once the cook time is complete, add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over pasta, rice, polenta, or in a bowl with a piece of crusty bread for dipping. This recipe loves a little extra dash of fat, consider drizzling on some extra-virgin olive oil when plating or grating some pecorino romano or parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
You can substitute fresh tomatoes for the canned tomatoes called for in the recipe. However, you will want to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste (adjust based on how watery your tomatoes are), and you may need to add extra honey to balance out the acid depending on the type of tomatoes you use.