• Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Blog
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Carrieโ€™s Experimental Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Ethnic Cuisines
    • Asian
    • French
    • German
    • Irish
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
    • Portuguese
  • Testimonials
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
ร—
Home ยป Recipes ยป Appetizer Recipes

January 25, 2016 · 8 Comments

Eggplant Caponata with Pizza Dippers

Appetizer Recipes· Dairy Free Recipes· Game Day· Italian· Summer BBQ's

1032 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Threads
  • Bluesky
Jump to Recipe -
Sweet and sour Eggplant Caponata makes a tasty appetizer on pizza dippers, toasted Italian bread or placed on top of grilled chicken or fish.ย 

Sweet and sour Eggplant Caponata makes a tasty appetizer on pizza dippers, toasted Italian bread or placed on top of grilled chicken or fish.

Sweet and sour Eggplant Caponata makes a tasty appetizer on pizza dippers, toasted Italian bread or placed on top of grilled chicken or fish.

With Super Bowl Sunday on the horizon, I wanted to come up with a few healthy appetizer recipes to share with you this week. 

This way, you can still pick on all of that glorious food that comes with the parties each year without the dreaded extra fat and calories.

Let me just say that this first recipe for Eggplant Caponata with Pizza Dippers will not disappoint. In fact, you can make it all year round and will want to, trust me.

Eggplant Caponata in a white dish.

What is Caponata?

Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant dish made with cooked vegetables including celery, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and onion; then sweetened with vinegar, sugar, olives and capers in a sweet and sour sauce.

It's typically used as a side dish, appetizer and even a vegetarian main dish. I remember growing up my grandmother and aunts would always have caponata on our antipasto platters around the holidays and I'm sorry to say I was never a huge fan.

I guess that's why I never really tried making it myself. But now I LOVE eggplant any way it's prepared and I'm so glad I made this caponata to try for myself.

Eggplant Caponata in a dish with pizza dippers

Eggplant Caponata is simple to make and can be ready in about 20 minutes on top of the stove. Previously, I've only eaten it cold, but I have to say after making this homemade version, I kind of liked it better on the warm side; which really brought out the sweet, tangy flavors of this dish.

A close up of Eggplant Caponata

How do you make Eggplant Caponata?

To make caponata start off by cutting all of your vegetables in small, bite sized pieces. Remember, it's going to be used like a dip similar to bruschetta.

Next, heat olive oil in a large sautรฉ pan over medium high heat and add your vegetables.

Eggplant Caponata vegetables in a skillet.

Allow them to soften for about 5 minutes; then add vinegar, sugar, olives and capers. Cook for another 10-15 minutes on low heat; then remove from heat.

You can serve it warm or cold, but keep covered in the refrigerator until you're ready.

Pizza dippers on a piece of slate.

Now I chose to serve mine out of the norm with pizza dippers; which is basically pizza dough sprinkled with some dried oregano and shredded mozzarella cheese; then cut into pieces and baked.

I used refrigerated pizza dough so all I had to do was roll it out a bit so it was a little thinner and add my toppings.

You could also toast some sliced Italian bread and place the caponata on top and serve already assembled, but we liked being able to top our own pieces of bread.

Another great use for caponata is to place it on top of grilled chicken or fish.

As an added bonus, this recipe for Eggplant Caponata contains only 10 calories and .6 grams of fat per tablespoon and the Pizza Dippers contain 15 calories and .6 grams of fat per piece (25 calories and 1.2 grams of fat per appetizer piece). So go ahead and indulge. ~Enjoy!

Sign up for my weekly newsletter  and receive a FREE eBook! 

Eggplant Caponata in a white dish.

Eggplant Caponata with Pizza Dippers

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
Sweet and sour Eggplant Caponata makes a tasty appetizer on pizza dippers, toasted Italian bread or placed on top of grilled chicken or fish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

For the Eggplant Caponata

  • 2 c. Small Diced Eggplant
  • 2 Plum Tomatoes, small dice
  • ยผ c. Small Diced Onion
  • 1 Stalk Celery, small dice
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 6 Pitted Kalamata Olives, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Capers
  • 1 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Red Vinegar

For the Pizza Dippers

  • 1 Package Refrigerated Thin Crust Pizza Dough
  • ยฝ c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 tsp. Dried Oregano

Instructions
 

For the Eggplant Caponata

  • Cut all of your vegetables in small, bite sized pieces.
  • Next, heat olive oil in a large sautรฉ pan over medium high heat and add your vegetables. Allow them to soften for about 5 minutes; then add vinegar, sugar, olives and capers. Cook for another 10-15 minutes on low heat; then remove from heat. You can serve it warm or cold, but keep covered in the refrigerator until you're ready.

For the Pizza Dippers

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Open the dough and roll it out to ยผ" thick; then sprinkle the cheese and oregano on top.
  • Cut the dough into 24 strips, place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; then bake for 5 minutes until the dough has risen and has lightly browned.

Notes

Serve with pizza dippers, on toasted Italian bread or place on top of grilled chicken or fish.
Nutrition Facts
Eggplant Caponata with Pizza Dippers
Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp.)
Calories 10 Calories from Fat 5
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.6g1%
Sodium 75mg3%
Carbohydrates 1.2g0%
Fiber 0.3g1%
Sugar 0.7g1%
Protein 0.2g0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
ย 
ย 
*Nutritional information is based on specific ingredients and products used in this recipe and was calculated byย MyFitnessPal.com; which may not be 100% accurate.
ย 
ยฉ2017 Carrie's Experimental Kitchen. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogโ€™s owner is strictly prohibited. Please contact the owner for any licensing inquiries for commercial use, publication and/or general distribution.
Original recipe can be found atย www.carriesexperimentalkitchen.com

Nutrition

Serving: 1tbsp.Calories: 10kcalCarbohydrates: 1.2gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.6gSodium: 75mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.7g
Keyword dips, eggplant
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.

A bowl of food, with Eggplant and Caponata

Related Recipes

Turkey Sausage & Roasted Eggplant Casserole

Turkey Sausage & Roasted Eggplant Casserole

A close up of a slice eggplant parmesan on a plate.

Eggplant Parmesan with Marinara Sauce

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

Sweet and sour Eggplant Caponata makes a tasty appetizer on pizza dippers, toasted Italian bread or placed on top of grilled chicken or fish. 

 

Connect with me on Social Media

Facebook | X | Pinterest | Instagram

More Appetizer Recipes

  • roasted chickpea and leek hummus in a glass dish
    Roasted Chickpea and Leek Hummus
  • Italian fried artichoke hearts on a plate
    Cuori di Carciofi Fritti (Italian Fried Artichoke Hearts)
  • a white plate with four greek appetizer skewers
    Greek Style Appetizer Skewers
  • buffalo chicken meatballs on a white plate with dip
    Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Previous Post: « Pizza Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Next Post: Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanie @ Zagleft says

    January 28, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    My husband loves eggplant and this is a dish he asks for often. I love that you served it with pizza dough - delicious!

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      January 29, 2016 at 7:15 am

      Thanks Joanie, it tastes great on top of grilled chicken too!

      Reply
  2. Alison says

    January 28, 2016 at 5:26 am

    Love the look of this, I always wonder what to do with egg plant. Will have to give this a go, I think my family would love it

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      January 28, 2016 at 7:13 am

      One of my other favorite ways to use eggplant is to use it in roasted ratatouille, it's so good. Thanks for stopping by Alison!

      Reply
  3. nicole @ I am a Honey Bee says

    January 27, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    what a great appetizer!

    Reply
  4. Christie says

    January 26, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    This is a must make for game day, have to balance out all the other not so healthy stuff!

    Reply
  5. Leia @ Eat It & Say Yum says

    January 26, 2016 at 11:01 am

    What a creative way to use eggplant! Looks so yummy! Pinned.

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      January 26, 2016 at 11:46 am

      Thank you Leia!

      Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Not sure what to make for dinner? The ingredients for a quick and easy family-friendly home cooked meal are right in front of you. Join me as experiment with new recipes sourced by local, fresh ingredients. Enjoy!

Stay up to date

Categories

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · Carrie's Experimental Kitchen