WHITE BEANS WITH EGGPLANT AND FETA


PRACTICAL FACT: Beans are one of the most important foods to consume when thinking about a healthy longevity diet. They’re rich in fiber and complex carbs and they are crucial to one of the most important aspects of health: our gut! Ikarians and Greeks in general cook beans every which way, but it’s when combining them with luscious veggies like eggplant that we get complex flavors and textures as well as great nutrition. This recipe calls for canned beans, but would be even healthier if made with dried, home-soaked beans, which contain more of all the good nutritional value than their canned equivalent. But we all need a little convenience now and then, so if you do use canned beans, look for low-sodium and organic if possible.

Ingredients

  • Ingredients
  • 2 medium eggplants trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes
  • Greek sea salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 Tbsp extra virgin Greek olive oil
  • 1 15- can good-quality cannellini beans
  • ½ cup red onion chopped
  • ½ cup celery chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups plum tomatoes drained and chopped
  • 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
  • 4 Tbsp crumbled Greek feta or cashew-milk cheddar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

  1. Instructions
  2. Rinse and pat dry the eggplant with a kitchen towel.
  3. In the same skillet, sauté the onion and celery over medium heat until translucent. Add one more tablespoon of olive oil, raise heat and add the eggplant. Sauté until the eggplant browns lightly, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir gently for a minute, and pour in the tomatoes.
  4. Add the drained beans to the pot, season with oregano, cover, lower heat and cook all together for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until everything is tender. Just before removing from heat, sprinkle in the grated or crumbled cheese and parsley. Serve.

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Love vegetables? Want to learn more great plant-based Mediterranean dishes? Enroll in my online  class “Baked Vegetable Classics!” 

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