This sautéed eggplant dish is perfect for your next meatless Monday dinner. We love the creamy textures and nutty flavors of the eggplant and the Rancho Gordo beans. The Swiss Chard adds some beautiful crunch, color, and earthiness that balances out the dish perfectly.

We sautéed the Swiss Chard and cooked beans in traditional Puerto Rican sofrito, made by a new brand we have at the Farm Store, Loisa. Sofrito is a blend of veggies and spices used as a seasoning base for dishes, and we love incorporating it into as many dishes as possible.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Soak your Rancho Gordo beans overnight, then boil for about 1.5 hours, or until tender, in salted water. You can do this ahead of time.

Slice your eggplant into half inch slices. For crispier sautéed eggplant, lightly salt your slices and let them sit for about 20 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel. The salt will extract some of the moisture, leading to a more browned exterior. If you prefer a silkier, softer eggplant, you can skip this step.

Next, pan fry your slices of eggplant in avocado oil for about 3 minutes on each side, salting as soon as you remove them from the pan, but while they’re still hot. Cook in batches and try not to over crowd the pan.

Next, set the eggplants aside and throw a large spoonfull of sofrito into the same pan. Add about a cup of your cooked beans and about 2 cups of chopped Swiss Chard. Stir for about 3 minutes, until the Swiss Chard is slightly wilted.

Plate your sautéed eggplant, beans, and chard. Sprinkle with finishing salt and serve with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

*Sofrito Recipe: blend together tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, and olive oil to desired consistency.