Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe

If there’s one dish that transforms kitchen moments into a comforting escape, it’s this luscious pasta with eggplant and tomato sauce—I promise, your taste buds are about to embark on a delightful journey!

My affection lies in changing uncomplicated components into an embracing, soul-satisfying dish. Eggplant and Tomato Sauce with Pasta is a simply delicious, a clean diet delight.

There, the richness of the eggplant, sautéed with olive oil, onion, and garlic, does the heavy lifting, of punch down the road dish. It further shines when reduced to rags with crushed tomatoes, which meld in the pan with oregano.

Aroma alone makes this dish irresistible. A touch of red pepper flakes offers a gentle kick.

With a sprinkle of Parm and fresh basil before serving makes for a sweet-sour kitchen win.

Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe Ingredients

• Eggplants: Rich in fiber, they aid digestion and provide antioxidants.
• Olive Oil: Contains healthy monounsaturated fats, heart-friendly.
• Garlic: Known for its antioxidant properties, boosts immunity.
• Crushed Tomatoes: Adds richness, provides vitamins A and C.
• Parmesan Cheese: Adds a savory tang and sources protein and calcium.

Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe Ingredient Quantities

• 2 medium eggplants, diced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound pasta of your choice
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

How to Make this Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe

1. To salt the diced eggplants, first place them in a colander. Then sprinkle them with salt. Let them drain for about 30 minutes. This allows the eggplants to remove excess moisture and bitterness. After 30 minutes, rinse. Then, pat them dry with paper towels.

2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the eggplant and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

3. In the same frying pan, pour in the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the very finely chopped onion over medium heat until it is not quite clear, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant.

5. Incorporate the can of crushed tomatoes into the mix, along with the dried oregano and the red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. The eggplant, sautéed and ready, is returned to the skillet. I stir well, combining eggplant and sauce, and the skillet is set on low heat, the sauce gently simmering for about 15-20 minutes. This should allow the flavors to meld together.

7. As the sauce simmers, set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it is al dente.

8. Drain the pasta, but save about 1/2 cup of the water in which the pasta cooked.

9. Incorporate the cooked pasta into the eggplant sauce in the skillet. Gently combine, and if necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to achieve the sauce’s desired consistency.

10. Serve the pasta and eggplant sauce very hot, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Now that’s a meal!

Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe Equipment Needed

1. Colander
2. Large skillet
3. Large pot
4. Measuring spoons
5. Knife
6. Cutting board
7. Wooden spoon or spatula
8. Paper towels
9. Grater (for Parmesan cheese)
10. Ladle or measuring cup (for reserving pasta water)

FAQ

• Can I use a different type of pasta?You can indeed use any kind of pasta you prefer, whether that be spaghetti, penne, or fusilli. Just make sure to change the cooking time according to the directions on the package.
• How can I make the sauce spicier?Boost the amount of red pepper flakes or chop up a fresh chili to mix into the sauce if you want it to taste even more fiery.
• Can I make this recipe vegan?Yes, skip the Parmesan cheese, or substitute it with a vegan cheese or nutritional yeast.
• How do I store leftovers?Leftovers in the refrigerator should be preserved in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave, but do so gently.
• Is it necessary to peel the eggplants?Eggplants do not need to be peeled. The skins become tender when cooked. Cooking the eggplants without the peel may yield a slightly smoother texture, but peeling is not necessary for cooking, and one may still do so if one so prefers.
• Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned?Indeed, using fresh tomatoes is an option. First, blanch and peel them, then chop and cook the tomatoes until they break down and form a sauce.

Pasta With Eggplant Sauce Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Eggplants:
Use zucchini or sweet bell peppers instead.
Olive oil:
Opt for avocado oil or sunflower oil.
Medium onion:
Replace with shallots or leeks.
Crushed tomatoes:
Replace with fresh, chopped tomatoes, or tomato sauce.
Grated Parmesan cheese:
Pecorino Romano or a vegan cheese substitute. Using vegan cheese of your choice is better.

Pro Tips

1. Salting Eggplants Effectively After salting and draining the eggplants, press them gently between paper towels to ensure you remove as much moisture as possible. This helps them brown more evenly when sautéing.

2. Caramelize the Onions For deeper flavor, let the onions caramelize slightly rather than just turn translucent. This will add a hint of sweetness to the sauce and enhance the overall taste of the dish.

3. Infuse the Olive Oil Before adding onions to the skillet, infuse the olive oil with garlic by cooking the minced garlic in the oil at a low temperature for a few minutes. Remove the garlic before it browns, then proceed with sautéing the onions.

4. Tomato Paste for Richness For a thicker, more robust sauce, consider adding a tablespoon of tomato paste while incorporating the crushed tomatoes. It will intensify the tomato flavor and give the sauce a richer texture.

5. Basil Integration To infuse the sauce with a fresh basil flavor, add a few torn basil leaves to the sauce during the last 5 minutes of simmering. This will enhance the aromatic quality of the dish before fresh basil is used as garnish.