Caponata is a rich and savory blend of vegetables — it's the Italian version of the French Ratatouille. Many ingredients are the same — onions, eggplant, and bell peppers. The difference is the addition of capers, vinegar, and olives, which gives caponata a surprisingly tangy taste. With both dishes, the flavor appears like magic when you sauté a few fresh vegetables. It never ceases to amaze me that when simple, fresh ingredients come together, they create flavor beyond what they offer individually. The taste and nutrition of fresh ingredients make a strong argument for home cooking versus buying prepared food ready to warm.
You'll invest some time in chopping and sautéing a few vegetables, but then you can enjoy caponata throughout the week as a main, with a fresh salad to start and a light dessert. It's delicious on its own, or tossed with pasta, or served with Italian sausage. Caponata is a hearty yet light dish in the summer, and is a delight any time of the year. If you have fussy eaters who would appreciate the savory blend of vegetables and tomatoes but won't like the tang of the capers, olives, and vinegar, separate the caponata into two portions before adding the final ingredients, and you can easily make one dish to please everyone.
This simple version of caponata cuts a few corners, to save time without sacrificing the result. There are many ways to modify this recipe to your liking. Below are some ideas for variations and how to make preparation more convenient.
One eggplant, about 1 pound
Two red bell peppers
One large onion
Four cloves of fresh garlic
6-8 stalks of celery, with leaves
3/4 cup homemade tomato sauce or 2/3 cup cherry or grape tomatoes — see the notes below
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp-1 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
1/2 -1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp capers
Green olives
Fresh parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
Wash and prepare the vegetables:
Warm a few tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan or large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and red peppers. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute — just enough to release the flavor without letting it brown.
Add the tomato paste and mix well with the vegetables.
Add the tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes and let everything simmer gently over low heat, but not too long. Caponata is best when the vegetables hold their shape — they should be tender, not mushy.
In a separate pan, heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant and sauté until it begins to soften, adding more olive oil if the eggplant sticks.
Once it's golden and tender, add it to the rest of the vegetables.
Add the olives, capers, and parsley.
Add the vinegar and sugar and mix well.
Serve warm or let cool and refrigerate. Caponata is even better the next day — and better again the day after that.
It's always a little different.
And so good with pasta!
Serving Ideas:
Leftovers are divine tossed with pasta — another variation on this dish.
Notes on Tomatoes and Timing:
You can use any kind of tomatoes you like, but I recommend grape or cherry tomatoes to save time. If you're using whole tomatoes, you'll need to chop them. With small cherry or grape tomatoes, you can toss them in whole — no cutting required. They’ll soften as they cook, and you can gently mash them with a spoon or fork if you like.
Also, don’t feel you have to make this dish all in one go. I often find it hard to carve out time to prep and cook everything at once — especially for a recipe with several steps like this one. My solution is to cook in stages.
For example, I might sauté the onions and peppers the night before, while I’m in the kitchen, waiting for dinner to warm. They take a few minutes to chop, and can cook while I’m doing something else. Then, when it’s time to finish the caponata, most of the work is already done.
It’s a small shift that makes a big difference.
