This ragout is super tasty, easy to make, sits well and is also festive! What other excuse do you need to make my eggplant ragout during the holidays? Ok, I’ll give you one more… you can even make it the day before and reheat on the stovetop! Have I convinced you yet? And of course you could just serve this ragout over pasta to make it more traditional 🙂 Happy Holidays!

Eggplant Ragout over Toasted Quinoa

serves 4

ragout:

1 medium eggplant, diced

1 yellow onion, julienned

1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 -1 cup vegetable broth

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 cups chopped swiss chard

6 basil leaves, thinly sliced

quinoa:

1 cup quinoa (I used tri-colored, but you can use any color you like)

2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup dried currants or dried golden raisins

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Place the quinoa in a dry sauce pot and place over medium-high heat. Continue to move the quinoa with a wooden spoon until it smells slightly toasted. Careful not to bur 😉 Add in the vegetable broth and currants. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until all the broth has absorbed, about 20 minutes. At the end, toss in the toasted pine nuts.

In a large frying pan, sauté diced eggplant and onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a big pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper on medium-high heat. Don’t touch it too much or the eggplant will fall apart. Toss it once at the beginning and then every few minutes, until the eggplant and onions begin to soften. This should take 7-10 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Turn the heat down a bit, till you are at a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, the tomatoes should be breaking up. Add in the garlic, swiss chard and more vegetable broth if it’s starting to look really thick or sticking to your pan. Sauté 3 more minutes until the chard is wilted and serve over the quinoa and top with the fresh basil.

PRINTER FRIENDLY RECIPE