Eggplant and zucchini slow cooked in aΒ creamy tomato sauce with Indian spices. Serve with cauliflower rice for a flavorful vegan and gluten-free meal!Β
Itβs time to break out your slow cooker (yet again) because I have a another tasty recipe to share. Itβs inspired by Baingan Bharta, one of my favorite vegetarian dishes to order when we go out for Indian food.
Naturally this make-at-home version involves Indian spices, but Iβve changed it up a bit by using a combo of eggplant and zucchini. And I also added coconut milk to make it extra creamy. I’m all about the coconut milk lately.
After cooking for hours the eggplant and zucchini get melt-in-your-mouth tender and soak up tons of flavor from the spicy sauce. So delicious!
And did I mention itβs super easy? You literally throw everything in your slow cooker, stir, cover and go about your business while the veggies cook to perfection.
For serving I love pairing the curried eggplant with rice β I used cauliflower rice but basmati rice would work great as well. I also recommend adding in a little protein. Chickpeas would be awesomeΒ for a vegetarian meal or you can do chicken or even shrimp.
Oh, and it would be absolutely amazing served with naan! Seriously, garlic naan is one of the things I miss most since going gluten-free. Iβm making a note to myself right now to find a gluten-free naan recipe so I can stop feeling naan-deprived. If you have a good one, please share. π
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Eggplant and zucchini slow cooked in a creamy tomato sauce with Indian spices. Easy, healthy, vegan and gluten-free. Serve with cauliflower rice for a veggie packed meal!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped eggplant (peeled, if desired)
- 4 cups chopped zucchini (or more eggplant)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garam marsala
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 15 oz can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth (optional)
- chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Place onion and garlic in a food processor (affiliate link) or chopper to finely chop.
- Add chopped onion and garlic mixture, eggplant, zucchini, spices, tomato paste and coconut milk to your slow cooker. Stir everything together. At this point if the mixture seems too thick you can add in a little vegetable broth. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve warm with rice and naan.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 321
- Sugar: 16g
- Fat: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 6g
Do you like Indian food? If so, what’s your favorite thing to order? I LOVE all Indian food and will pretty much eat anything they cook for me. If you’re local and looking for a good IndianΒ restaurantΒ to try, please go to Lehja.Β It’s myΒ absoluteΒ favorite. We’ve taken friendsΒ who say they don’t like Indian food and converted them — it’s that good. πΒ
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
I’m trying to get rid of the food in my fridge and pantry before I go home for the holidays, and I have almost a whole can of coconut milk and an eggplant. I said, what am I going to do with this? Then THIS RECIPE!! Thank you!!
meg says
This looks fabulous! Perfect for chilly winter nights. I don’t have a slow cooker – do you have a sense of how long it would take for the flavors to develop well on the stove-top?
Alexandra Maul - Made to Glow says
LOVE your crock pot recipes! Keep them coming! Can’t wait to try this one – I’d love to add some chicken like you suggested – do you think it would work okay to add chicken thighs in with everything in the crock pot?
Brittany Mullins says
Thanks Alexandra! I think adding chicken thighs in with everything will work yet fine. Let me know if you try it. π
Healthy Hits the Spot says
Oh my gosh Brittany… this looks amazing! Definitely going to pin this to make π
Chantal carpentier says
Can I use almond milk instead of coconut milk? Thx
Brittany Mullins says
You can try it, but I’m not sure how it will turn out because I’ve only used coconut milk. Let me know if you try it!
Barb says
Aloha from Hawaii! I made this last night and it was delicious! I made my own garam marsala and added carrots. I think when I make it again I’ll use different veggies and maybe tofu. The sauce is so delicious, I think there are a lot of different veggie combinations that can be used with this. I made cauliflower rice to go with it. This is a keeper!! Thank you for a great recipe ????
Brittany Mullins says
Hi Barb. I’m so glad that the dish turned out to be tasty. I think it would be delicious with tofu and veggies as well. Enjoy experimenting. π
Emma says
Excellent dish. I made it for dinner yesterday but also added garbanzo beans. Big hit! Thank you for sharing.
Leslie Moore says
This was sensational. I substituted boneless chicken breast for zucchini. I did not add any broth as the chicken provided enough liquid. Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Brittany Mullins says
Hi Leslie! I’m so glad that you liked this recipe. And, thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment letting me know. π
Emily Reph says
Thank you so much for this recipe. It is super hot and humid here today and I have 4 eggplants ready in my garden along with about 5 zucchini so this will help use at least some of them up. My kids LOVE ‘indian food’.
Brittany Mullins says
It’s really the perfect way to use up your eggplant and zucchini! I hope the whole fam loves it, Emily! π
French Lizzy says
This is cooking in the slow cooker right now! We had rice yesterday, so I’ll serve it with whole-wheat pasta and grilled chicken breast. I’ll let you know how it turns out π
liz henstridge says
This sounds fantastic! I don’t have a slowcooker, any ideas on how long this would need to simmer to get all the flavours correctly on a stove top?
Brittany Mullins says
I haven’t tried it on the stove top yet, but I’d cook it on medium for at least an hour. This should give the eggplant sufficient time to cook down and get soft. Let me know if you try it. π
Umm Salma says
Husband loved it. I’m Asian so I think it needs more spice for me but I will definitely save it and make again. Thanks a bunch
★★★★★
Jenna says
This looks delicious. How do you prepare the eggplant before putting it in the slow cooker? Thanks!
Brittany Mullins says
Hi Jenna. All you have to do is chop it. You can peel it if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. π
justin says
Would you add the chicken raw?
Brittany Mullins says
Hi Justin. Yeah, I would cut back on the amount of veggies a bit (just so you have enough sauce) and add chopped raw chicken to the slow cooker. Let me know how it turns out.
ida says
Going to make this but just wanted to note that it’s hard to tell you mean 1 X 6oz tomato paste and not 16oz.
Brittany Mullins says
Good point! I just updated the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. π
Emily says
Hi- I was wondering if you think the slow cooker could be left on for 8-10 hours on low instead of the 4-5 hours in the recipe, or would the entire dish be too mushy?
Brittany Mullins says
Hi Emily! I haven’t tried it, but I think doing it on low for 8-10 hours would be fine. Let me know if you try it!
Carly says
I tried this recipe exactly as per instructions, and after 4 hours it came out smelling awful – the coconut milk had gone rancid! I’ve made recipes before where the coconut milk goes in at the end, so I should have trusted my instincts and put it in at the end. I don’t know why this didn’t work for me but seems to have worked for others. A full pot of veggies ruined and time wasted!
Erica says
This was excellent- velvety, flavorful and filling. I added carrots
and sweet potato. Strongly encourage not adding coconut milk until the last hour so that it doesnβt break.
★★★★★
Toni says
I love this recipe! I had an eggplant and a yellow squash one day and found this recipe – I’ve made it five or six times. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Talya says
Tried this today, it was spicy! I love the spice but my 17 month old… Not so much! Sadly I had to make an alternate meal for him (good thing for leftovers π) I did find it needed something. Maybe I missed a spice? Will definitely make it again with some meat π