A delicious oven-baked caponata made from red onion, celery, carrots, garlic, capsicum, eggplant, olives and dried herbs served on crostini. A wonderful way to use seasonal fresh vegetables.

I was lucky enough to be taught this recipe for Caponata on Crostini when we were on holiday in Sicily in 2023. We had the wonderful chef Gloria Fabbri come to our holiday house. She showed us how to make Cannolis, Pasta Timbale alla Norma and Caponata. While they were all so incredibly tasty, my favourite was the Caponata.
This dish is full of vegetables cooked in a red wine vinegar and sugar that give it its characteristic sweet-and-sour flavour. For more eggplant recipes, be sure to check out my Lamb and Eggplant Baps, Slow Cooker Beef Red Curry, or my Falafel Burger.

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Ingredient notes:

- Eggplant: Also know as aubergine, this is one of the most important ingredients! This vegetable not only has a great texture for eating, but it also soaks up the delicious flavours.
- Kalamata olives: These add a salty, briny balance to the sweet and sour notes. Leave them out if you don't like olives.
- Red wine vinegar: This is essential for the sweet-and-sour that defines this traditional Sicilian dish.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. In a large ovenproof casserole dish, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring for 10-15 minutes until softened and translucent.


Add the red and yellow capsicums, eggplant and olives to the pan. Drizzle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir to coat. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the Italian herbs, red wine vinegar and sugar. Stir to combine.


Cover with the lid, then transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes.


Stir through and serve on crostini with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

I like to garnish each crostini with a piece of fresh basil.

Recipe FAQs:
Traditionally it's served as an antipasto on crostini, but you can also enjoy it as a side dish with grilled meats, tossed through pasta, or even on pizza.
Yes! Caponata actually tastes better the next day once the flavours have had time to meld. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Storage:
Store your caponata in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy leftovers on freshly baked crostini, stirred through freshly cooked pasta or as a side dish with your favourite grilled meats.
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Caponata on Crostini
A delicious oven-baked caponata made from red onion, celery, carrots, garlic, capsicum, aubergine, olives and dried herbs served on crostini.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 1 yellow capsicum, diced
- 2 eggplants, cubed
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, diced
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 2 tsp Italian red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 70g pine nuts
To serve
- Crostini or crackers
- Balsamic Glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
- In a large ovenproof casserole dish, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat.
- Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring for 10-15 minutes until softened and translucent.
- Add the red and yellow capsicums, eggplant and olives to the pan. Drizzle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir to coat. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the Italian herbs, red wine vinegar and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Cover with the lid, then transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
- Stir through and serve on crostini with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Notes
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for later.
- This makes a large recipe so you could halve it.
- To make the crostini, thinly slice a baguette, brush with oil and bake for 15 mins until crispy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 21mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya










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