Easy and Healthy Black Rice with Tomatoes & Aubergine

Name: Easy and Healthy Black Rice with Tomatoes & Aubergine
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 200g rice already cooked; 40 small tomatoes (ideally cherry tomatoes); ½ aubergine; Salt and pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil; Fresh basil a few leaves; 1 small onion finely chopped

by Micaela Harrasser July 31, 2023

July 31, 2023

This healthy and summery rice recipe is a gem: you can prepare all ingredients in advance (or use tomato sauce & aubergine leftovers) and it’s ready within minutes. It’s seasonal, meaning your tomatoes and aubergines should burst with flavor! It’s vegan (if you don’t want to add the cheese at the end). And it’s healthy! 😉

Yes, not much protein you might argue – you can always compensate with a side dish, or by using a grain with more proteins than rice like barley, or a pasta made with lentil/pea/chickpea flour instead. Still great 😊

By the way, what an interesting specimen of aubergine 😀 I found it at the farmers market, and have to say it was super sweet, and light in flavor!

For the tomatoes, I would suggest to use the cherry tomato (or vine tomato) variety, as they are usually tastier and sweeter than most varieties. If they turn out to be less than marvellous, as I suggest in the instructions, you can add a touch of sweetness. I would recommend a few drops of a syrup, like agave or maple (honey would be too strong in flavor), or a pinch of sugar.

Lastly, the best part about this dish is that it can be enjoyed hot or cold – perfect for a hot day, or an ‘autumn day’ (which is what we are having at the moment in Ams..). As final touch, you can add some freshly grated cheese on top. To make the classic Norma recipe, you would need hardened sheep’s ricotta. You can use pecorino instead, it’s just a bit more seasoned 😉 enjoy!

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Easy and Healthy Black Rice with Tomatoes & Aubergine

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 30 min 30 min Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

200g rice already cooked
40 small tomatoes (ideally cherry tomatoes)
½ aubergine
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil a few leaves
1 small onion finely chopped

Instructions

If you still have to cook the rice, start with this step (boiling it is just fine) and add some extra minutes to the count.
In the meantime, clean and slice the aubergine.
In a wide pan, add generous olive oil and heat it on medium heat.
Once hot, add the sliced aubergines and cook until done, about 3-5 minutes per side.
Set them aside to cool down.
Now the tomatoes: rinse and cut them into halves or quarters.
In a pan, heat the finely chopped onion in some olive oil.
Add the chopped tomatoes with the juice, and cook on medium heat until tender.
Note: if the tomatoes are not very tasty nor very sweet, add a few drops of syrup (agave or maple) or a pinch of sugar.
If you see the water is evaporating too much, add some extra but not too much.
Once the tomatoes are tender, gently press them down with the back of a spoon to squash them and remove all the juices.
Cook the tomatoes until almost all the liquid is evaporated.
Using a stand mixer, place the tomatoes in together with the basil and pulse a few times to make a paste with still bits of tomatoes in it (we don’t want to reach a ‘juice’ consistency).
Now assemble! Mix the tomato sauce with the rice.
Then add the finely chopped aubergines in.
Mix well and taste to adjust for salt and pepper.
Eventually, add some pecorino cheese on top.
Serve and enjoy!