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Pasta with Tomato and Roasted Eggplant

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggplants, or four smaller Japanese eggplants
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 pound pasta (rotini, gemelli, penne, macaroni, etc.)
  • Sherry vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups diced tomato (or one 15 1/2 ounce can diced tomato)
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste - or serve on the table)
  • 1/2 pound ricotta cheese
  • Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper
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Pasta with Tomato and Roasted Eggplant

Time: 10 minutes prep, 50 minutes cook
Servings: 4-6
 

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes. Toss them with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large bowl until they are coated. Place them on a roasting pan or baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, until they are soft.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until it is al dente (lower end of time allotted on the box).
  3. Heat a large skillet to medium. Pour in the other 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until starting to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and then deglaze the pan with a splash of Sherry vinegar.
  4. Dump the roasted eggplant into the skillet along with the diced tomato, red pepper flakes, basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and season with kosher salt and pepper, tasting till the balance is right. Then add the pasta and ricotta cheese. Toss until the pasta is coated, adding additional Kosher salt if needed. Sprinkle with the parsley in the pot, or serve to individual bowls and then sprinkle with the parsley. Enjoy!
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Summary

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2 votes | 4805 views

A adapted this from a recipe in Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables cookbook. My other eggplant pasta dishes all call for fried eggplant, which is delicious but messy and time consuming. So I was eager to try a roasted version. I slightly prefer the flavor of the traditional, fried eggplant, but given the reduction in effort I think roasting is the way to go...especially for large groups. I increased the basil and reduced the parsley from Alice's original recipe where they wer both 1 cup (we prefer basil to parsley) and I slightly increased the garlic (from 4 cloves to 6). I loved the resulting flavor and wouldn't change it, but wanted you to know in case you'd like to try the original.

Reviews

  • John Spottiswood
    January 28, 2013
    I love pasta with eggplant, and this one was great!
    I've cooked/tasted this recipe!

    Comments

    • Lorrie Marroquin
      February 5, 2013
      I think I will try this one. I make a lasagna with grilled eggplant in place of the pasta and it is delicious.