If you’d like to whip up a simple but elegant gourmet meal with only a few vegetables, some black beans, and a couple of spices, this recipe will thrill you to pieces! It takes about half an hour to make (depending upon how fast you can cut vegetables) and you won’t have to do anything too complicated. Sounds great, right? Wait until you taste it!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 eggplant, cut into small chunks (you can peel it, but why bother? We left our peels on)
1 medium zucchini, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small (15 ounce) can stewed or diced tomatoes (include the liquid)
1 can black beans
1 tablespoon ancho or chipotle chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

grated vegan Parmesan cheese
vegan sour cream
sriracha
toasted sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, onion, and garlic into an extra-large frying pan. Fry for about 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to turn soft.

Add the black beans, and then the tomatoes and spices. Turn the burner down and simmer your mixture for another 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more spices if needed. We like this dish spicy, but your tastes may well differ. To each their own!

Remove your pan from the heat and serve hot over noodles or rice (either white or brown will do. We used Basmati with saffron! Yum!) You can also try quinoa. Just check labels and make sure you’re not consuming any gluten. Feel free to sprinkle the top with the condiments of your choice (see our suggestions, above. Of course, you can experiment as much as you desire).

We had this meal all by itself, but it would also pair quite well with a loaf of gluten-free bread and/or a small salad. Our yummy concoction serves up to eight people, so feel free to cut the recipe in half, as we did, if you’re serving fewer guests.

You can either refrigerate or freeze any leftovers you might have. Just cover them tightly in a secure container and store it in your refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze them for as long as needed. Rumor has it that this meal tastes even better on the second day. We don’t yet know whether this is true, but we’re looking forward to finding out.

We hope you enjoy this entrée as much as we did!