This aubergine spaghetti recipe is just amazing! Pasta coated in a creamy aubergine garlic sauce, you will not be able to stop eating it.
This aubergine spaghetti recipe is the best way of eating aubergines I could possibly imagine. I really love aubergines or eggplants. I eat them in many ways, and I always love them, but this simple eggplant sauce with garlic is incredible.
Unctuous and creamy, a little garlicky, with a slight note of sharpness added by the dried tomatoes, this aubergine spaghetti recipe will certainly become a favorite way of eating aubergines. Try this Eggplant Pasta Sauce or Air Fryer Eggplants next!
Ingredients
Pasta:ย I use spaghetti; I find it very suitable for this aubergine sauce. If using another kind of pasta, try some smaller/thinner shapes, not something large and sturdy like penne.
Aubergines or eggplants: Regular Italian aubergines/eggplants. 450 g/ 1 lbs of aubergines are about 2 medium around here; a little more or less would be fine. If you have a glut of aubergines, make Romanian Zacusca; it's the best bread spread ever!
Dried tomatoes: I use whatever I happen to have: either dried tomatoes in oil or dried tomatoes sold in a bag. If using dried tomatoes in oil, you can replace about half of the olive oil with oil from the tomatoes. If using dried tomatoes from a bag, chop them finely and add them to the sauce from the beginning; they will need time to get nice and soft.
Herbs:
- Thyme or oregano.
- Fresh would be perfect, but if all you have is dried herbs, they are fine as well. I use them often myself.
- However, the basil for the garnish should be fresh. If you don't have fresh basil, just leave it out of the recipe. No basil is better than dried basil.
Olive oil:
- You will need a nice amount of olive oil to make the aubergine spaghetti.
- It is more than I usually would use in cooking a regular sauce, but the aubergines just need it.
- I've tried making the sauce with only 2 tablespoons of olive oil once, and it just wasn't the same...
Why should you salt the aubergines?
- Salting aubergines before cooking was the way to go in the past. My grandmother always did it when cooking aubergines other than roasting them on the stove.
- Nowadays, salting the aubergines to reduce the bitterness is not necessary, as the bitterness has now been bred out of aubergines.
- However, there is another reason to salt the aubergines before frying them. The salt helps collapse the vegetable's cell walls, reducing the amount of oil the aubergines soak up during frying. And that is always a good thing!
How to make aubergine spaghetti?
- After salting and drying the eggplant cubes, fry them after the garlic.
- Add chopped tomatoes and herbs and stock.
- Bring everything to a boil, cover the pan, leaving a crack open, and let cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the aubergines are very soft.
- If there is too much liquid left in the pan by the time the aubergines are soft, remove the lid and let the sauce bubble for a little while longer.
- Mash with a fork, add basil, season, and mix with the spaghetti.
- Serve with some grated Parmesan if desired.
I found the recipe for the eggplant pasta on The Wednesday Chef (the link opens in a new tab) many years ago. It was one of the first blog recipes I've ever cooked, and I've cooked it dozens of times ever since.
Aubergine Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb aubergines /eggplants
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs thyme /oregano or a generous pinch of dried herbs works as well
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 lb spaghetti
- basil leaves
- grated Parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Cut the aubergines into chunky cubes, sprinkle them with some salt, and let them sit for 20 minutes. Dry them off with kitchen paper, pressing lightly.1 lb aubergines/ 450 g + ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Saute: Peel the garlic cloves, smash them slightly, but leave them whole. Heat the olive oil in a wide, non-stick pan and add the garlic cloves. Turn the heat to low and fry the garlic, stirring often, until it starts to sizzle and smell. Don't let it burn.3 garlic cloves + 6 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the aubergines, stir to coat them in oil, and cook on medium heat until translucent and soft.
- Simmer: Add the chopped dried tomatoes, herbs, and stock. Bring everything to a boil, cover the pan, leaving a crack open, and let cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the aubergines are very soft. If there is too much liquid left in the pan by the time the aubergines are soft, just take away the lid and let the sauce bubble for a little while longer.2 tablespoons dried tomatoes + 2 sprigs thyme + 1 cup vegetable / 250 ml
- Cook pasta: While the sauce is cooking, start cooking the spaghetti.1 lb spaghetti/ 450 g
- Mix: Mash the aubergines with a fork, add the sliced basil leaves, season to taste, and mix with the spaghetti. Serve with some grated Parmesan if desired.basil leaves + grated Parmesan
Adina says
The same for us here. we eat it really really often, it is just so good.
Georgiana says
The best ever!!! I could actually eat this dish everyday and not get tried of it! ๐
Thank you for sharing, Adina!!!
Adina says
dankeschรถn, rosi und anita.
Anita says
Das war aber mal richtig lecker! Hoffe auf weitere Rezepte von Adina!
Rosi says
Meinem Mann und mir haben die Spaghetti mit den Auberginen sehr, sehr gut geschmeckt--- Vielen Dank fรผr das leckere Rezept !!