How to Cook Eggplant Caponata: Sicily in One Pan
We are taking a ride down to Sicily today to make the ultimate Eggplant Caponata! If you have ever wondered how to cook eggplant so it’s perfectly full of flavor, this is the video you’ve been waiting for.
I’m going to show you exactly how to make homemade caponata the traditional way. This authentic eggplant dish is a Sicilian staple found alongside fresh arancini and bread. It’s the perfect Italian appetizer or side dish that brings the Mediterranean to your kitchen.
Whatever you do, don’t buy caponata in a can! This one-pot recipe is a naturally vegan and vegetarian dish, making it a fantastic option for anyone looking for plant-based Italian recipes. Once you see how simple it is to whip up, you’ll never go back to store-bought.
The magic of this recipe is the “Agrodolce” flavor (sweet and sour). It actually tastes much better the next day! I’ll show you exactly how to store it in a jar for the perfect healthy snack ready all week long.
Ingredients:
1.5 lb eggplant, cubed
2 celery stalks, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shot white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
Sunflower oil
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh basil to finish
Instructions
1. In a large pan, heat the sunflower oil. Fry the cubed eggplant in batches until golden brown and tender. Remove and set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a separate deep skillet, sauté the diced celery and onion with a drizzle of olive oil until they become soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about one minute.
4. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, white wine vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let this simmer for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down a bit.
5. Fold the fried eggplant and fresh basil back into the pan. Stir gently so you don’t mash the eggplant.
6. Remove from heat and let it rest. Caponata is traditionally served at room temperature or cold.
⭐ Video Chapters
0:00 The Essence of Sicily: Caponata
1:00 Frying Eggplant
2:17 Building the Vegetable Base
4:01 Creating the Agrodolce (Sweet & Sour) Sauce
4:55 Folding in the Eggplant and Basil
6:47 The Importance of Resting and Dipping Bread
7:28 Giovanni
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
✅ Iconic Sicilian Flavor: A perfect balance of salty capers, briny olives, and sweet-tart vinegar.
✅ The Ultimate Appetizer: Perfect on bruschetta, as a side for fish, or eaten straight out of the bowl.
✅ Make-Ahead Friendly: It actually tastes better 24 hours later, making it the perfect party prep dish.
Comment Below:
Caponata is like a fingerprint, every Sicilian nonna makes it differently! Do you add raisins for extra sweetness, or maybe some toasted pine nuts for crunch? Let me know your family secrets in the comments! 👇🍆🇮🇹
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#eggplant #italianfood #easyrecipe
49 Comments
Also as a pizza topping!!!
Wow I am on this. Thanks
Not a fan of eggplant but looks good !
Love your channel!
Just spent a month in Sicilia. Ate a lot of caponata. Incredible with swordfish added.
Nice. Do you know about what temp the oil was at when you fried the eggplant? About 350 would you say?
Holy cow. I am definitely making this.
Having grown up loving pickled vegetables, caponata is part of my summer menu. Can’t recommend it enough. As usual, makes me hungry. Great tips.
Thank you so much for making this dish I love caponata Mira a
Dude, you're a awesome chef, you make it so simple ❤❤❤
I've always used red wine vinegar
Che cosa fai di bello?! I've become such a fan of your channel. We never had this dish in my family, but we will shortly. Great job you're doing, Giovanni. Ciao!
Oh that's going to be so good the next day.
I watched many Lidia Bastianich cooking shows but don’t recall ever seeing this dish. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and this dish just look incredible colorful; the ingredients tossed and seared in the pan conjure up a palette of tastes in the mouth. All these images make me want to try cooking this dish. Thanks for the video.
So good❤
I've ate the best caponata in the favignana island in a resto it was really different than the other restaurants once we had that caponata we never liked any other restaurants in sicily
I've never tried frying the egg plant. I think I would love it. I prepare mine with raisins and Kalamata olives, but as long as a Sicilian is preparing it, it's gonna be good…ooofah…lol
Quick story. We moved from NYC to New Hope, Pa little over 8 years ago. People here love to get together they are friendly, blah blah. It took me an entire year to adjust. They love potluck around here. As you know, that is a big "no no" to us Italians. The first time we hosted a get-together, they learned QUICKLY not to bring food to the Competiello home😂😂
If I have offended anyone good take notes and grow a set😂😂😂
Lovin' your channel!
Delicious! ❤
Yum!! One of my favorites!
I am old now, but I used to love my mother's caponata. this recipe is already saved – I'll definitely try it, thanks
I used to make this often. I used anchovies emulsified in the oil. To add another depth of flavor.
Seed oils are very bad for you. Try avocado oil. Much healthier.
This guy and a brit chef (can't think of his name) are some of the best out there.
No music, no snobby eurotrash attitude, no silly stories about how it is poor folks food or a history "lesson" that is not true.
Can the eggplant be fried in avocado oil?
Gosh, I haven’t had Caponata in ages 😢 I remember how flavorful it was. This is bringing me back to my 20’s!! Love how colorful this dish or appetizer is. A taste of Italy for sure 🇮🇹❤
Love this dish. We always ate it cold. My mom would make it the day before. Always eaten with a hunk of good Italian bread.
Yummy
you are top shelf, there's a wife and two little girls in Brisbane who will eat better as a result of your cooking.
Thanks, I look forward to making this.
Love it, but have a hard time getting the eggplant to cook until soft. Don't like it al dente. I REALLY want to get a good recipe that's fairly easy, and gets that eggplant done, softer, not rubbery.
My Mom used to make eggplant sliced thin, dipped in egg and bread crumbs and fried. It was wonderful but a huge mess to make, and you needed a cast iron skillet, which I hate.
I've used a famous Italian brand of canned caponata, and I like to put it in a chicken vegetable soup I make (I call it Chicken Caponata Vegetable Soup with Eggplant and Capers), and add a drizzle of teriyaki sauce to make the subtle sweetness bcuz it adds some umami.
I’m of Sicilian decent. The recipe is exactly like mine except I add raisins and pignoli nuts.
Amazing Dish..I add Codfish or Shrimp..serve with White or Yellow Rice…Love It
that was a good looking eggplant
❤ This is the best appetizer… You are fantastic.I'm keeping this for my next dish of wonderful italian food….❤ Thank you❤
I CAN NOT EAT EGG PLANT,CAN I USE OTHER VEGETABLE?
That looks spectacular..have to try it thanks 🙏
This would be great just to eat with a homemade bread. I am looking forward to
making this dish. Thanks again for wonderful recipe ❤
Love this dish, Chef!!!❤❤
My Sicilian grandmother, aunts and mother made this and it was almost always on the table. They called it “pedicia”. Not sure of the spelling. Have you ever heard it called by this name. Does anyone know the correct spelling.
Look at his huge eggplant 🥰🥰🥰
This dish looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it. Thanks!
If I didn't salt the eggplant first my tongue, lips, & inside my mouth swell up and it's possibly a hospital visit.
I've never had this but I love eggplant and all the other ingredients. My recipe file is getting full with your delicious recipes.
One of my favorites, sometimes I make it, sometimes I buy it CENTO!
This looks delicious
HOW COULD YOU TAKE A RIDE TO SICILY I THINK YOU HAVE TO FLY THERE LOL ,,,,, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR YOU ARE DOING GREAT GIO
My Nonna used to add raisins and pignolis sometimes.
Nice easy caponata. I could eat that whole pan. Thx
I am so distracted by this guy;s gorgeous hair !!!! I have made something very similar for pasta. I used salted capers. it is really good.