Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce Recipes

PASTA ALLA NORMA (EGGPLANT PASTA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
• Toss eggplant with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the tray and roast for 20 minutes.
• Flip, then roast for a further 5 minutes. Cool on tray (this helps the eggplant hold its shape when tossing).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta a couple of minutes after you start making the sauce (next section), until al dente or to your liking.
• Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds until golden, then add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, if using. Let it simmer, scraping the base of the pan to deglaze, until the wine mostly evaporates.
• Add tomato passata. Now pour the water into the passata bottle, screw on the lid, shake, and pour that in too (waste nothing!)
• Add dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant, then add cooked and drained pasta. GENTLY toss until pasta is coated in the sauce (so the eggplant doesn't turn into complete mush!).
• Serve immediately, garnished with a good pinch of fresh basil and parmesan.

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice and Salt the Eggplant. Trim the eggplant and partially peel them in a striped pattern (zebra pattern). Slice them into ½ inch thick rounds. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt on both sides and lay them flat for a few minutes (up to 30 minutes if you have the time). Wipe the eggplant dry and remove excess salt using a paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the eggplant. Brush the bottom of a large sheet pan (or two) with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in the pans in one single layer (eggplant slices should not overlap, each should be comfortably touching the bottom of the sheet pan). Roast in the heated oven until deeply golden brown, anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, turning over mid-way through.
• Make the Sauce. Meanwhile, get going on the sauce. In a large deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook, tossing regularly, until the garlic gains a little bit of color. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then lower the heat and let simmer briefly.
• When ready, add the roasted eggplant to sauce. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain and combine the pasta with the eggplant and sauce (if needed, add a little bit of the pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add chopped parsley and grated ricotta salata cheese to finish.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• First, make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to break them up. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss to coat, drizzling in more oil if you needed. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes until eggplants are very tender.
• While the eggplants are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and pour it into a large pasta bowl. Add the drained spaghetti and stir to coat with the sauce. Fold in the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and basil, and another drizzle of oil, and toss gently. Serve immediately and pass extra cheese at the table.

PASTA WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the eggplant, onion, parsley and garlic in oil until tender. , Stir in the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, mushrooms, sugar, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. Serve with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

SPAGHETTI WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over the moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, add the tomatoes with the juice, and simmer the sauce, uncovered, breaking up the tomatoes and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until it is thickened.
• While the sauce is simmering, cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch dice, divide it between 2-jelly-roll pans, and drizzle it with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Bake the eggplant on the upper and lower racks of a preheated 400°.F. oven for 10 minutes, stir it and switch the pan positions in the oven. Bake the eggplant for 10 minutes more, or until it is very tender and golden, and stir it into the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a kettle of boiling salted water boil the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it well. Divide the spaghetti among dinner plates and spoon the sauce in the center of each serving.

PASTA WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice the eggplants horizontally one-half-inch thick. Dust the slices with salt, place in a colander over a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Light a barbecue or an oven broiler.
• After 30 minutes rinse the salted eggplant in cold water and pat dry on paper towels. Brush the eggplant slices with four tablespoons of the olive oil and grill or broil them, turning them once, until they are lightly browned.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• While the water is coming to a boil, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until it turns golden, add the garlic and saute a few seconds longer. Chop the grilled eggplant and add it to the skillet. Remove from heat.
• Boil the pasta until it is al dente, about eight minutes. Drain it. Reheat the onion and eggplant mixture in the skillet and add the tomatoes. Mix. Add the pasta, mix again, fold in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve at once with Parmesan cheese on the side.

ROASTED EGGPLANT PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Spray a large baking sheet with oil. Toss eggplant cubes with 2TB oil & spread on pan. Roast at 400F for 20-30 minutes until browned; stirring occasionally. Season with 2 tsp kosher salt after roasting & stir gently.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2TB olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion & saute until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until tender but not brown, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes, then uncover pan and simmer 5 minutes more. Stir in herbs, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
• Add roasted eggplant to the tomato sauce and stir gently. Serve over your favorite pasta & top with grated cheese, if desired.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread out eggplant cubes and peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 3 tablespoons oil and season well with salt. Roast, turning everything, until eggplant and peppers are very soft and deeply golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until about 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain.
• Using the large holes of a box grater, grate tomatoes over a large skillet so the pulp falls into the skillet. To do this, hold on to the curved side of the tomato in your hand and slide the cut, flat side across the holes. Stop grating just before you reach the skin.
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer until tomato pulp is reduced by half, then season to taste with salt.
• Add the pasta, capers and butter, if using, to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, tossing until butter melts and pasta finishes cooking, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and toss in eggplant and cheese, if using.
• Serve pasta drizzled with a little more oil and the herbs.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI SAUCE FOR PASTA

Steps:

• Position the oven racks so that they are evenly spaced. Preheat the oven to convection roast at 450°F. Cover a large, rimmed pan with foil and coat with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, garlic, onion, and tomatoes and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the vegetables on the prepared pan and roast in the center or top of the oven until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.
• With tongs, lift the skins off the tomatoes. Return the tomatoes to the pan with the vegetables and roast for 5 more minutes. Scoop the hot vegetables into a food processor or blender fitted with the steel blade. Process just until the vegetables are coarsely chopped and pour them into a serving bowl. You may need to do this in batches.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Put the pasta into a serving bowl and top it with the vegetable sauce. Serve with the Parmesan.