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    Where Is My Spoon > Stews

    Eggplant in Tomato Sauce

    Published by: Adina August 2, 2019 · Last modified: February 24, 2022 15 Comments

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    pinterest image of aubergines in tomato sauce.

    Incredibly aromatic eggplant in tomato sauce, a vegan stew that you will make over and over again. Melt-in-your-mouth eggplant slices stewed in a full-flavored tomato sauce.

    Jump to Recipe
    eggplant stew

    Why are stews so great?

    • Romanians like stews, we can pretty much stew anything, I don't think there is any vegetable sort or meat cut that hasn't been stewed at one point or another. I could not really say why, but I suppose it has to do with the convenience of stewing.
    • One pot and one source of heat and that might be a reason why stewing has become the number one way of preparing food in Romania over the centuries or thousands of years.
    • Cheap and quick, you can throw just about anything you have in one pot, stir a little and get a delicious meal made out of very few ingredients, things that are in season or you happen to have in your house or garden, without the need of going out shopping for anything special.
    • And if you like eggplants, try the Romanian Aubergine Salad - Vinete, Zacusca, or these amazing Spaghetti with Eggplants.
    eggplant stew in tomato sauce

    How to make?

    Tomato sauce:

    The eggplant in tomato sauce is a typical Romanian vegetable stew, eaten a lot not only during the fasting times but mostly in summer when the eggplants fill the markets. I stewed them in the Basic Tomato Sauce from Thursday, but if you choose not to make your own tomato sauce, you can use your favorite brand of tomato/marinara sauce.

    The ingredients indicated make 2 large jars. You will only need about 250 ml/ 8.5 fl. oz/ 1 cup for the eggplant stew.

    • Chop 1 medium onion and 4 large garlic cloves finely. Keep them separated.
    • Heat 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until translucent.
    • Combine: Add the garlic, stir it shortly in the pan. Add 2 cans (400 g/ 14 oz each) chopped tomatoes. Add the 1 pack pureed tomatoes (500 g/ 17.6 oz), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon dried savory/thyme/oreganio/Italian herbs/Herbes de Provence, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon sugar, about ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and black pepper.
    • Cook: Bring to a boil and cook on a medium-high flame for about 20 minutes.
    • Simmer: Turn the heat a bit down and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the sauce has a nice, thicker consistency. Adjust the taste with salt, pepper or a bit more sugar, if necessary.
    • Blend: Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and puree the sauce with a blender, according to your preference, you can make it as smooth as you like it.
    • Makes about 2 jars, depending on their size, which keep in the fridge for about one week. To keep it longer freeze the jars.

    Eggplants:

    • Prepare vegetables: Slice the eggplants into 1.5 cm/ 0.6 inches. Place them in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Leave to stand for half an hour, rinse shortly and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.
    • Fry first batch: Heat half of the oil in a large skillet or non stick pan. Fry half of the eggplant slices, about 3 minutes on each side or until golden and soft. Remove.
    • Second batch: Heat the remaining oil and fry the second batch of eggplant slices. Remove.
    • Add the garlic, stir for 1 or 2 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and arrange the eggplants slices back into the pan. Carefully cover with the sauce.
    • Cook gently on medium low heat and covered for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a little. Stir a couple of times in between, but very gently.

    How to serve?

    • The recipe for eggplant in tomato sauce serves two as a main dish with bread or potatoes, for instance or a 4 as a side dish.
    • In Romania we would serve this dish with white bread.
    • However, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, bulgur, couscous, or pasta are great as well.
    • Serve a green salad on the side.
    • The eggplant stew in tomato sauce can also be served as a side dish for grilled meats, fish or chicken.
    eggplant stew

    More vegetable stew recipes:

    • Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce - one of my favorite cauliflower recipes, you definitely have to try it.
    • Potato Stew with Sausages and Vegetables - another typical Romanian stew.
    • Spicy Cabbage Turmeric Stew - a simple cabbage stew with unusual spices.
    • Leek and Black Lentil Stew - probably my favorite vegetable stew, you won't believe how delicious this is.

    Do you like this recipe? Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don't forget to tag me when you try a recipe!

    eggplant stew in a pale dish.

    Eggplant Stew

    An incredibly aromatic eggplant stew in tomato garlic sauce, a vegan eggplant or aubergine recipe.
    4.60 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Vegan Recipes
    Cuisine: Romanian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 -4
    Calories: 299kcal
    Author: Adina
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • 2 eggplants 200 g/ 7 oz each
    • 6 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 large garlic cloves
    • 250 ml/ 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup tomato or marinara sauce See note
    • 150 ml/ 5 fl. oz/ ⅔ cup water more if the sauce seems too thick
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 small bunch of parsley

    Instructions

    • Slice the eggplants into 1.5 cm/ 0.6 inches. Place them in a colander and sprinkle them with salt. Leave to stand for half an hour, rinse shortly and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.
    • Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or a large non-stick pan. Fry half of the eggplants, in one layer, for about 3 minutes on each side or until nicely golden and pretty soft. Remove from the pan. Add the other 3
      tablespoons oil to the pan and fry the second batch of eggplant slices. Remove from the pan as well.
    • Grate the garlic cloves. Add them to the pan, stir once quickly. They will not need more time as the pan is already so hot, you don't want to burn them.
    • Immediately add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and arrange the eggplant slices back into the pan.
    • Spoon some of the sauce over them, very gently, so that they are covered in sauce. Take care not to break them. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid.
    • Cook gently for about 10 minutes, remove the lid, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a little. Stir a couple of times in between, but very gently.
    • Sprinkle the dish with the chopped parsley and serve with bread or potatoes.

    Notes

    You can use your own homemade tomato sauce, my homemade tomato sauce or bought tomato or marinara sauce, a brand that you like.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 303mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. KR says

      March 11, 2017 at 2:37 pm

      Eggplant is one vegetable I must to use to. I eat this but this is not my favorite. Now I am looking your photos and seems that eggplant gave a second chance 🙂

      Reply
    2. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

      March 11, 2017 at 3:34 pm

      This is definitely something I would enjoy for the dinner! Love the simplicity and flavour.

      Reply
    3. Anca says

      March 12, 2017 at 10:13 am

      It looks delicious, I love aubergines and tomatoes, so I know I would like this stew too. x

      Reply
    4. mjskitchen says

      March 13, 2017 at 4:43 am

      Always looking for a recipe for eggplant because it's such a tricky vegetable in both texture and flavor. I love this recipe and will be making it soon! Thanks!

      Reply
    5. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

      March 13, 2017 at 1:34 pm

      Maybe I'm part Romanian, because I will seriously devour anything stewed. 🙂 Like this fabulous eggplant dish, It would be gone in .2 seconds if I was around! Looks absolutely cozy and delicious, girlfriend!! Cheers!

      Reply
    6. Monica says

      March 13, 2017 at 7:49 pm

      Tomato sauce is such a magical ingredient to use in so many ways. I love eggplant now as an adult and would love to have this for dinner, any night! I just want to have this with some crusty, warm bread, and a small glass of wine.

      Reply
    7. grace says

      March 13, 2017 at 7:10 pm

      what a satisfying stew! it's the kind of dinner i like to take a hunk of bread to and chow down!

      Reply
    8. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says

      March 14, 2017 at 12:56 am

      As Italian, I love eggplant, or maybe adore this vegetable! We cook it often, more than any Canadian, here. So many are intimidated by this amazing vegetable, I cannot understand why. Love how you stewed them in tomato sauce!

      Reply
    9. Beth says

      March 14, 2017 at 1:43 am

      I love stews, too, even though I don't make them too often. They're perfect for a cold-weather night!

      Reply
    10. Kim | Low Carb Maven says

      March 15, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      I like stewing meats and vegetables, too. When I first got married, I found that the easiest and most flavorful way to make dinner was to cook it in a full-flavored tomato sauce just like you did here. I love the meaty texture of eggplant and how it soaks up sauce and flavors. This is a knock-out dish, Adina!

      Reply
    11. Maria says

      May 31, 2017 at 4:16 am

      Stunning dish! Two of my favorite foods combined together... perfect match!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
    12. Amy Kugali McWilliams says

      September 23, 2017 at 7:12 pm

      This came out very tasty but I think I did it wrong... when I was frying the eggplant in the pan, I started out with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil you put here, but the second I put the eggplant in the pan it sucked up all of the olive oil and the pan was so dry. So when I flipped the eggplant over to fry the other side I added more olive oil and the dish turned out really tasty but a little bit greasy from the extra olive oil. Should I have just left the pan dry when doing the eggplant??

      Reply
      • Adina says

        September 24, 2017 at 7:37 am

        You weren't wrong, Amy. That's the problem with eggplants, they suck up the oil like a sponge. I like them when fried in oil, they are creamier than when grilled or baked, but I always worry about the calories, so I try to use as little oil as possible. Try using a non-stick pan and maybe start with one or two tablespoons oil, adding more only when adding the next batch. If the non-stick pan is a bit dry when you flip the eggplants over is not so bad. If you keep an eye on them, they will not burn.

        Reply
    13. Pam West says

      October 01, 2019 at 3:36 am

      Yum! Thank you?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        October 01, 2019 at 7:01 pm

        Welcome. 🙂

        Reply

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    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

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