Chicken Sausages with Eggplant Caponata
Caponata (pronounced kap-oh-nah-tah) is a Sicilian dish often served as a salad or relish – here, as a topper for chicken sausage. Our lower-sodium variation of this traditional Italian topping with eggplant, tomatoes, anchovies, olives and capers beats sugary relish any day!
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Nutritional Bonus: Eggplant possesses antioxidant properties thanks to the anthocyanins and nasunin found in the nightshade vegetable’s skin.
Try these sausages for this recipe.
Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1/2 medium eggplant (about 4 oz), cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 3-oz natural chicken sausages with sun-dried tomatoes and basil
- 4 whole-wheat hot dog buns
- 8 pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped, optional
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Preparation
- Preheat grill to medium-high and lightly coat grill basket with cooking spray. Lightly brush both sides of eggplant and onion with oil, then place in grill basket. Cook vegetables until brown and tender, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board.
- Place sausages in grill basket. (TIP: It’s best to cook these dogs in your grill basket as smaller links may fall through grill.) Cook according to package directions. Gently open buns, but do not split in half. Grill buns briefly on each side while sausages cook for final 2 minutes.
- Finely chop eggplant and onion and place in a medium bowl with olives, basil, garlic and vinegar.
- To serve, place 1 sausage in each bun and spoon equal amounts of vegetable mixture over top of each. Sprinkle with additional basil, if desired.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 bun, 1 chicken sausage, 1 cup eggplant caponata
- Calories 288
- Carbohydrate Content 27 g
- Cholesterol Content 70 mg
- Fat Content 14 g
- Fiber Content 6 g
- Protein Content 21 g
- Saturated Fat Content 3 g
- Sodium Content 670 mg
- Sugar Content 5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 1.5 g