Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach

This has got to be one of my favorite dishes these days. It is hearty enough to be a vegetarian main dish, but we’ve been eating it as a side with all sorts of different protein options, the most popular was a venison grilled outside. The kids love picking out their favorite bites (so far the chickpeas are the winners) and they especially love making little naan bread tacos with Greek yogurt. It’s delicious!

Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach

• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

• 2 tsp Curry Powder

• 2 cloves Garlic

• 1/4 cup Ginger (either fresh or paste)

• 1 medium Eggplant

• 1 large Onion

• 1 can Chickpeas

• Salt & Pepper

• 1 120g bag Spinach

• Greek Yogurt (optional)

• Naan Bread (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 220ºC.

• In the bottom of a large Pyrex baking dish, pour the Vegetable Oil and Curry powder.

• Mince the Garlic cloves and add to the baking dish.

• If using fresh Ginger, peel and julienne the ginger. Add the fresh ginger or paste into the dish.

• Peel the Eggplant and chop into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick chunks. Add to the baking dish.

• Peel and slice the Onion into wedges. Break up the wedges and add to the mixture.

• Drain and rinse the Chickpeas, then add them to the mix. Stir all of the ingredients together and make sure it is all well incorporated.

• Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

• Cook for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure everything is cooking evenly.

• Rinse the Spinach. Add into the baking dish when there is about five minutes left to cook. Mix in thoroughly.

• Take out of the oven and serve with Greek Yogurt and warmed Naan Bread. There may not be many leftovers!

I’ve also made this dish using other vegetable combinations, like cauliflower and potatoes. Experiment and let me know which combos are your favorites!