Have you tried Trader Joe’s Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions? It’s positively ambrosial in a savory, put-more-on-my-pita way. For me, it’s the perfect quick lunch (or dinner). Some pita bread and a scoopful of hummus round out the meal. Add a plate of olives and feta and a cucumber salad, and you’re practically sitting by the Aegean.

Feeding this addiction can add up. A 9.9-ounce can is around $3.00, which doesn’t seem like much until you realize you’ve unloaded fifteen cans from your cart.

Trader Joe’s Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes & Onions

It’s easy to make your own

Fortunately, it’s easy to make a decent replica at home, and in quantities that will make you willing to share. I used the ingredients listed on the side of the can then devised the simplest, least labor-intensive way to make it:  in a baking dish in the oven. (“Oven in the summer,” you say? Yes, Just make it first thing in the morning before the heat of the day sets in.)

Cut up the ingredients, put them in a Pyrex dish, turn on the timer, and walk away. 45 minutes to an hour later you’ll have around three cups, or 24 ounces, for a fraction of what you would pay at Trader Joe’s.

An alternative method, which is still easy but takes more time, involves roasting the cut-up eggplant in olive oil and salt for about 30 minutes first. Then, add the remaining ingredients and return the dish to the oven for an additional 45 minutes. The recipe is very flexible. The spices listed here produce the closest version to TJ’s, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.

Just don’t skip the tomato paste and sugar. It may seem odd but they are essential to the unique flavor.

Mediterranean eggplant with tomatoes and onions

Ingredients

• 4 Japanese eggplants, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, cut into 1-inch rounds
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 Roma/plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 t. tomato paste
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. paprika (optional)
• 1 t. salt or to taste
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 to 2/3 C. tomato juice
• Parsley chopped, to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, and onions in an oven-proof dish, such as a Pyrex baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Add tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables.
3. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Add cumin, cinnamon, paprika (if using), and sugar. Stir to combine.
5. Pour tomato juice over all. Add another drizzle of olive oil if desired.
6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the eggplant is soft.
7. Cool to room temperature before serving. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Makes about 3 cups

Optional method: Place the dish in the oven, uncovered, and roast the eggplant with olive oil and salt for about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and follow the instructions above. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Note: This recipe is flexible. Simply adjust the seasonings proportionately.

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