Eggplant and Fresh Tomato Pasta Recipe
Two kinds of tomato go into this pasta, and they do different jobs. Large, very ripe tomatoes are grated on a box grater into a quick fresh sauce, while cherry tomatoes roast until they just start to burst and land in the skillet as sweet, jammy pockets.
The eggplant roasts in a hot oven, cut into 1-inch cubes and tossed with olive oil, until golden. An even layer, ideally over two sheet pans, lets it brown instead of steaming. Grating the big tomatoes is a neat trick: you start at the cut end and stop just before the skin, which stays in your hand and never ends up in the sauce.
The pasta comes out of its water about 2 minutes early and finishes with the vegetables and half a cup of the cooking water. That looks like a lot of liquid, but the eggplant soaks most of it up as everything bubbles together. Short tubes catch the pieces best, and rigatoni gets my vote.
Basil goes in off the heat, and a dusting of Parmesan and a little more olive oil finish each bowl.
PrintEggplant and Fresh Tomato Pasta
Roasted eggplant and burst cherry tomatoes tossed with short pasta in a quick sauce of grated fresh tomatoes, onion and garlic, finished with basil and Parmesan.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 - 2 pounds pounds globe eggplant ((about 2 medium) cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (divided)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (any color or variety will work)
- 2 very ripe large tomatoes
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste (optional)
- 12 ounces pasta (such as rigatoni, ziti, paccheri, canneroni, or any short, tubular shape)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, (plus more for serving)
- grated Parmesan cheese, (for serving )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place cubed eggplant on a large, rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss, and spread the eggplant in an even layer (use two sheet pans, if possible). Season with salt and pepper to taste and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden, tossing half way through.
- About 15 minutes before the eggplant has finished roasting, place cherry tomatoes on a small sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast until just starting to burst, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
- While the vegetables roast, make the tomato sauce. Cut a thin piece off the bottom of each tomato, the side opposite the stem. Starting at the cut end, grate each tomato on the largest holes of your box grater into a medium mixing bowl. Stop grating just before you reach the skin. Set aside. (Alternatively, you can roughly chop the tomatoes and blend just a few seconds until smooth but still pulpy.)
- In a large skillet or frying pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion until slightly soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes, if using; cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add the grated tomatoes to the onion mixture and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer until tomatoes have thickened slightly, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the eggplant is ready, add it to the skillet along with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Reduce heat to very low while you cook the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructs. Save 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Add the cooked pasta along with 1/2 cup of pasta water to the skillet and increase heat to medium. It will seem like a lot of pasta water but the eggplant will soak most of it up. Let it gently bubble away, stirring often until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is perfectly cooked, about 2-3 minutes. If the sauce looks dry, add more splashes of water, as needed. Remove from heat and add the chopped basil. Taste, and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed.
- Serve pasta drizzled with a little more olive oil, chopped basil, and a generous dusting of cheese.
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