Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

By Melissa Clark

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(1,506)
Comments
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This summery pasta is just as much about the vegetables as it is about the pasta itself. The star of the dish is the roasted eggplant, which caramelizes and softens in the oven. Those tender browned cubes then get tossed with cooked pasta and a quickly made sauce of fresh grated tomatoes, capers and chile flakes. Because the tomatoes need to be ripe and soft enough to fall into a purée when you rub the cut sides over the holes of a grater, heirloom tomatoes (which haven’t been bred for sturdiness during shipping) are a good choice here. But any juicy, flavorful, fleshy tomatoes will work. The cheese at the end is strictly optional, as is the butter. If you don’t eat dairy, feel free to leave them out.

Featured in: Eggplant, Tomatoes and Just a Bit of Pasta

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1¾pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 to 2banana or Italian frying peppers, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
  • Kosher salt
  • 12ounces pasta, such as campanelle or farfalle
  • 2pounds very ripe heirloom tomatoes, halved through their equators
  • 1 to 2fat garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
  • Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2tablespoons brine-packed capers, drained
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
  • Grated ricotta salata or Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
  • Fresh mint or basil leaves, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

420 calories; 16 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 914 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    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.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until about 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain.

  3. Step 3

    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.

  4. Step 4

    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.

  5. Step 5

    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.

  6. Step 6

    Serve pasta drizzled with a little more oil and the herbs.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,506 user ratings
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Comments

Dave Schabes

I made this tonight w/ terrific results. It's always nice to be able to use some of the peppers from the gallon jug of pepperoncini I bought at the restaurant-supply store for $6. One note from my experience would be to save more pasta cooking water than you ordinarily might because the desiccated eggplant soaks up a lot of sauce even after the pasta finishes cooking in it.

Thomas Burke

I make a similar version weekly. Cut a large unpeeled eggplant into 1-inch cubes, toss with olive oil, a Tbs each of red pepper flakes and sea salt. Bake @ 425 for 20 minutes, remove and redistribute the eggplant, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes. Tomato sauce consists of mixture of tomatoes and cherry tomatoes simmered with Tbs each of EVOO, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. Simmer until desired consistency. I add Parmesan or Riccota Salata and serve.

pat

Bake eggplant/peppers at 450 for 30 to 40 minutes? Only if you like crunchy burnt eggplant turds in your sauce. Try 15 minutes.

GreenSageSJ

This is a delicious dish, but with all respect to Melissa, there's no reason to save it for summer if you've canned or frozen summer tomatoes or have high quality canned on hand. No, it's not the same as the day you picked the tomatoes (or the eggplant for that matter). But it's wonderful nonetheless.

Jim B.

This recipe needs more - tomato paste, oregano, parsley, basil plus I substituted feta for ricotta for the added flavor. Some chicken broth and a dash of red wine also enhances the taste.

DanaR

After roasting the eggplant cubes, remove them and then roast sliced tomatoes coated lightly with evoo. The tomatoes will caramelize, lose excess water and become sweeter.

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