Pasta Sauce with Eggplants

Comforting pasta sauce with eggplants, tomatoes and lots of cheese, even children will love eating eggplants cooked this way.

EGGPLANT PASTA

A delicious pasta sauce with eggplants or aubergines. Some tomato sauce and lots of cheese and you will be able to experience a great moment, which is, seeing your kids actually eating eggplants.

As much as I like eggplants, I cannot eat them quite as often as I would because, unfortunately, I am the only one in the house who really loves them. I grew up eating them, for me they are something normal, I used to eat vinete or eggplant dip almost weekly in Romania, in the summer and autumn months while growing up.

My husband only knew eggplants as an adult and never really learned to appreciate their flavor and especially their amazing texture when properly cooked. He eats them, but mostly under protest. And as to my kids…

PASTA SAUCE WITH EGGPLANTS AND CHEESE

But there are three dishes that even these eggplants deniers love. First of all the typical Romanian vegetable spread – Zacusca, then the Aubergine Spaghetti and most recently this delicious pasta dish with soft eggplant cubes and tomato sauce.

The recipe for this eggplant pasta started as a casserole dish that I made once, liked and promptly forgot. It took me about two years to think of it again, once when I happened to have an eggplant in the fridge which was bought with no real purpose in mind. So I thought I’d make that pasta bake again.

I started cooking a bit too late in the afternoon and by the time the pasta and the sauce were cooked, everybody was already complaining about being hungry and not wanting to wait so long anymore. This annoyed me a bit but after mixing all the ingredients in the pot and adjusting the taste I realized that the unfinished casserole tasted even better than the baked product.

So I just added the cheese that was supposed to come on top of everything and there it was: dinner ready and everybody completely satisfied.

HOW ELSE TO USE THE EGGPLANT SAUCE?

• Make a pasta bake: Mix the sauce with cooked noodles and mozzarella. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is oozy and golden.
• Serve the eggplant sauce over creamy polenta or fried polenta slices.
• Serve the sauce over rice, couscous, quinoa or bulgur.
• Don’t blend the tomato sauce, add the cooked eggplant cubes, adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve as a side dish for roast meat or chicken.

MORE QUICK PASTA DISHES

BUTTERED NOODLES WITH GARLIC AND PARMESAN – Incredibly easy to make, aromatic buttered noodles with garlic and Parmesan.

CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA BAKE – Creamy chicken and bacon pasta bake with cheese and sour cream, this pasta bake has the potential to become a family favorite. 

TORTELLINI ALLA PANNA – Italian tortellini in cream and ham sauce with Parmesan and basil.

SKILLET MACARONI AND CHEESE – Only three ingredients, less than half an hour cooking time:

CABBAGE NOODLES WITH SOUR CREAM – Comforting plate of noodles with lots of cabbage and topped with sour cream and dill.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

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Pasta Sauce with Eggplant Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Comforting eggplant pasta sauce with tomatoes and lots of cheese, even children will love eating eggplants cooked this way.

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrate, not sauce)
• 2-3 larger sage leaves (See note)
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g/ 14 oz)
• a pinch of sugar, optional
• 1 large eggplant
• 120 ml/ ½ cup vegetable broth
• 500 g/ 1.1 lbs small pasta shapes
• 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 1 cup grated Gouda or cheddar cheese
• 1 mozzarella (125 g/ 4.4 oz)
• fine sea salt and pepper
• fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium pan. Chop the onions and the garlic cloves and cook for a few minutes, until soft.
2. Add the tomato concentrate and continue cooking for about 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the chopped herbs, bay leaves and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if necessary. Puree the sauce roughly using an immersion blender.
4. In the meantime chop the eggplant into smallish cubes. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan and fry the cubes until soft and translucent. Add the vegetable broth, cover the pan leaving a crack open and cook until the eggplants are really soft and all the liquid is gone.
5. Cook the pasta according to the packet's instructions.
6. Add the soft eggplants to the tomato sauce and mix well.
7. Grate the Gouda or cheddar cheese and cut the mozzarella into small cubes. Mix all the ingredients together and adjust the taste again.
8. Scatter the parsley on top and serve immediately.

Notes

You can replace the fresh herbs with dried herbs: 1/2 teaspoon dried sage and 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 528mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 15g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.