Nightshade Veggies: Tomatoes, Potatoes, Eggplants, Okra, Peppers & More

Nightshades: the family of plants (solanaceae) that includes fruits and veggies like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, okra, pepper and tobacco. All members contain alkaloids and many (but not all) contain small seeds.

In the botanical world, tomatoes and eggplants are considered cousins. All members are. They all contain alkaloids and many (but not all) contain small seeds.

Nightshade Recipes

Tomatoes Recipes

If you’re looking for more tomato inspiration, check out rainbow tomato guide and colorful tomato recipes below.

Tomato Confit - low-and-slow roasted cherry tomatoes in olive oil until sweet, jammy, sweet and bursting with umami.
Tomato Galette - a savory galette filled with juicy heirloom tomatoes and creamy cheese.
Tomato Watermelon Salad - sweet, juicy, crunchy, salty, briny, and tangy summer salad.
Gazpacho - a watermelon strawberry twist on the classic Spanish cold tomato soup.
Baked Feta with Tomatoes - a quick and easy baked feta appetizer bursting with bright, bold Mediterranean flavors.
Tomato Puff Pastry Tart - crispy, buttery puff pasty topped with a lemony, creamy ricotta and fresh, juicy tomatoes.
Cherry Tomato & Burrata Pasta – roasted tomatoes with creamy burrata makes the ultimate summer comfort pasta.

Potato Recipes

Potatoes are nightshades too and don't have seeds like most.

Looking for potato recipes? Especially purple ones - the antioxidant-rich members of the potato family. Sweet potatoes included.

No-Mayo Potato Salad - A bright, herbaceous potato salad tossed in smoky paprika vinaigrette.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes - boiled, flattened, then roasted until golden brown and ultra crispy – the best of all potato worlds.
Hasselback Potato Gratin - The best of creamy potato gratin and crispy hasselback potatoes in one epic mash-up.
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries - Extremely crispy oven-baked sweet potato fries served with spicy chipotle aioli.
Purple Sweet Potato Pie - A vibrant purple twist on classic Southern sweet potato pie with gingersnap crust and pecan streusel.
Sweet Potato Salad with Feta & Lime Vinaigrette - A colorful sweet potato salad with feta and a bright maple-lime vinaigrette.

Eggplant Recipes

If you’re looking for more carrot inspiration, check out these white eggplant - the milder, creamier, older sibling of the classic purple variety and enjoy my eggplant recipes below.

Tomatoes - over 15,000 known varieties of tomatoes (WHOA!). Heirloom tomatoes really DO come in every color of the rainbow! They range in flavor range from mild to sweet to tangy and even smoky, with vary degrees of acidity.

Season: summer and early fall is peak eggplant and tomato season though you’ll find varieties of nightshades available year round.
Prep: raw, grilled, roasted, confit, poached, braised, steamed, sautéed.

Eggplant - there’s a whole wide eggplant world out there aside from the Globe/American eggplant that is typical at the grocery store. Go to your local farmers market to find Italian, Japanese, Rosa Bianca, Indian, Thai, white, graffiti/Sicilian, fairy tale, Little green and more! The flavor is generally pretty consistent though they can range from sweet to bitter and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!

Whatever color and shape of eggplant you choose, always choose ones with smooth, shiny skin that feel heavy for their size.