Good for You Easy Eggplant Dip
This Easy Eggplant Dip recipe rocks! It’s one of my favorites, perfect for a summer party!
Summer is almost here. I couldn’t be happier, as I love the warm, long days, have more energy, spend time with friends, enjoying the outdoors, and cool summer evenings. Awww – it makes me happy! Last year my friend Judy brought her favorite Easy Eggplant Dip recipe to several events, so I asked if I could share it with you. It’s perfect for the dinner party where you’re asked to bring an appetizer, and you want it to be good and different.
It brings me back to last summer when I turned 50 (gasp), and my girlfriends threw me a very classy dinner party on the lake … yes, on the lake! And what appetizer did we nosh on before our dinner?
Judy’s Eggplant Mezze!
I think you’ll really enjoy the flavor combination – it screams SUMMER!
On a related note, when I think of eggplant, I think of my baby girl (well, who is almost 18 now), who at dinner parties in our backyard as a little girl would recite THIS poem to our guests:
Eat it, it’s good for you. Eat it, it’s good for you. That makes me mad.
How does something good for you taste so bad?
Eggplant is icky, spaghetti is fine.
Why can’t they eat their food and let me eat mine?
It was so dang cute. She said it with such passion, and coming from a cute little voice, it was charming and lightened the mood. It was her idea, so it’s possible to ask your child what talent they might want to share around the table.
We’ve grown Italian eggplant in our garden in past years, but we did not plant any this year. I’ll have to check up the street at our local farmer’s market and see if I can put my order in for some.
Be honest now.
Do you like eggplant? And what’s your favorite way to cook with it?
Get the Recipe:
Easy Eggplant Dip
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup tomato purée, 8 or 10 oz can
- 1/2 cup chopped black olives
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Cut unpeeled eggplant into small cubes. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over moderately high heat. Sauté eggplant, turning and stirring until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add onion, celery and green pepper. Cook and stir until vegetables are crisp-tender, adding more oil if necessary. Stir in tomato purée, olives, vinegar, sugar and salt. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Cool and refrigerate several hours or overnight. May be refrigerated up to 1 week, or frozen. Makes about 4 cups.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I just made this and want to eat it with a spoon…thanks, this recipe is a keeper!
I love egg plant. It has such a gorgeous color on the outside, but I will admit when it’s cooked it could be a teeny weeny more appealing in color. But luckily that doesn’t deter me. I have never had it in dip form. I pinned this.
What a great summer snack!! I need some pita chips STAT!
I like eggplant parmesan or fried eggplant but nothing else has tasted good. I’ll have to give this recipe a try when the eggplant in our garden is ready.
This looks delicious! Great for summer!!!