Easy Entertaining: Grilled Caponata Bruschetta (Vegetarian)

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I learned this recipe last month at our very dear friends’ Rick and Megan’s rehearsal dinner. She had such a fun dinner at a wonderful place in Reno, called Nothing to It. It is a small little restaurant that also hosts cooking classes. When we arrived at Nothing to It, we were told that we'd be breaking up in to groups and preparing appetizers. Naturally, I was thrilled and could hardly wait to start cooking! The appetizer my table prepared was Grilled Caponata Bruschetta. While, I didn't take the recipe home with me, I remember the ingredients pretty well and made this the other night when the newlyweds came over for dinner. Rick, the groom, actually hadn't gotten to try the bruschetta that night, so it was the perfect item to make. These bruschetta are to die for. They are seriously amazing and the perfect appetizer to entertain guests with. There were only four of us for dinner that night, but I still made a larger quantity of the bruschetta topping. We didn't use it all that night, but the next morning my hubby and I baked some crostini and made the bruschetta for breakfast. We could hardly wait to get out of bed to eat it that morning.

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced in to ¼ inch rounds

1 white onion, peeled and sliced in to ¼ inch rounds
¼ cup olive oil
1 baguette, cut at an angle in  ¼ inch to ½ inch slices
¼ cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 tbsp capers, chopped
3 roma tomatoes seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup basil, chiffonade
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt (some to sprinkle on eggplant and onions, the remainder goes in the mixture)
1/2 tsp pepper
6 ounces goat cheese


Preheat your grill. Salt the eggplant and onion rounds. Next brush the eggplant and onions with olive oil, reserving the leftover oil. Grill on medium low on the middle rack, turning every 4 minutes for about 16 minutes, until eggplant is soft and somewhat transluscent. While the onions and the eggplant are cooking, slice the baguette. Brush the baguette with the remaing olive oil on one side. Place the baguette slices on the grill, oil side down. Let the bread crisp for a minute or two, just until there is a little crunch on the side with the oil.

Remove eggplant, onions and bread from grill. Let cool for a few minutes. Dice the eggplant and onions into 1/4 inch pieces. In a large bowl combine eggplant, onions, kalamata olives, tomatoes, capers, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir together until fully incorporated.

Next smear goat cheese on to baguette slices and top with bruschetta mixture.


Serves about 6 people. Serving size is 6 pieces per person. 250 calories and 10 grams of fat.