For a beautiful dish full of summer vegetables, this Spanish Samfaina, similar to ratatouille, is hard to beat. Served warm or cold, it is the perfect accompaniment to chicken or fish, or serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh crusty bread for a delicious simple lunch.
In this Catalan summer dish, capsicum, eggplant and zucchini (or peppers, aubergine and courgette for my UK friends!) are cooked slowly with garlic and olive oil until thick and jammy.
It is delicious warm or cold (I actually prefer it cold), meaning it is great for meal prep, or for making in advance when entertaining. Whether you serve it as a side dish or as part of a tapas spread alongside Spanish tortilla, Spanish garlic mushrooms and Spanish style silverbeet and chickpeas; this versatile summer dish is one that, once tasted, I am sure you will make on repeat all summer long.
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Whilst this dish does require a little stirring from time to time to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan, it isn’t one that requires a lot of effort. If I am in the kitchen cooking another dish, it doesn’t feel like that much more work, and I am left with a delicious dish or side that I can use over the next couple of days.
Can I leave out the zucchini / courgette?
Yes you can. Many versions don’t include courgette, however as I tend to have a glut of them in the garden in the summer, I am always looking for ways to use them up and therefore always make my samfaina with courgettes / zucchini.
That’s a long time to be cooking vegetables, can I speed it up?!
No, sorry – this is not a dish to hurry! The vegetables need to be cooked slowly until jammy and pretty much falling apart. This creates a wonderful sweet flavour. You most definitely do not want the vegetables to be crunchy in this particular dish.
Serving Ideas
- Hot – with cooked salmon, chicken, topped with a fried egg.
- Cold – drizzled with olive oil, or to make it more filling, a can of drained chickpeas stirred through (not traditional in the slightest, but delicious!)
Make ahead/storage
The cooked samfaina will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing it.
Why not try…
You may also like these other easy Spanish recipes:
Samfaina (Spanish Ratatouille)
Author: Robyn
Equipment
- Large heavy based pan with lid
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red pepper cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 1 courgette cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 1 aubergine cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large tomatoes finely chopped or grated
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil in to a large, heavy based saucepan and add the diced onion, red pepper, courgette and aubergine.
- Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until softened.
- Add the minced garlic then place the lid back on and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring every so often to stop the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and pinch of salt, turn the heat up to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes, until moist of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender and jammy.
- Serve straight away, leave to cool to room temperature, or serve chilled.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Or just leave a comment below!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red capsicum cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 1 zucchini cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 1 eggplant cut in to 1½ cm cubes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large tomatoes finely chopped or grated
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil in to a large, heavy based saucepan and add the diced onion, capsicum, zucchini and eggplant.
- Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until softened.
- Add the minced garlic then place the lid back on and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring every so often to stop the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and pinch of salt, turn the heat up to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes, until moist of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender and jammy.
- Serve straight away, leave to cool to room temperature, or serve chilled.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Or just leave a comment below!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper ½ inch cubes
- 1 zucchini ½ inch cubes
- 1 eggplant ½ inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large tomatoes finely chopped or grated
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil in to a large, heavy based saucepan and add the diced onion, bell pepper, zucchini and eggplant .
- Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until softened.
- Add the minced garlic then place the lid back on and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring every so often to stop the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and pinch of salt, turn the heat up to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes, until moist of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender and jammy.
- Serve straight away, leave to cool to room temperature, or serve chilled.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Or just leave a comment below!
Let me know your thoughts!