Pasta With Eggplant and Zucchini
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons olive oil
- 1tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 128-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2tablespoons dried oregano
- ⅛teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1pound eggplant
- ½pound zucchini
- ¾pound dry pasta, like ziti, fusilli, shells or rigatoni
- 4tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 4tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
586 calories; 18 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 90 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 1135 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
- Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic. Cook and stir without browning. Add the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to blend, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile cut off the ends of the eggplant and peel. Cut it into 1-inch cubes.
- Step 3
Cut the ends off the zucchini and slice into 1-inch thick slices.
- Step 4
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is very hot, add the eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until nicely browned and tender. Add to the tomato sauce. Mix well and cook for 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Drop the pasta into salted boiling water and cook to the desired degree of doneness. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Step 6
Return the pasta to the pot, add the reserved cooking liquid, the vegetable and sauce mixture, basil and Parmesan cheese. Toss and serve hot.
Private Notes
Comments
The secret is to salt the eggplant for 10 minutes, rinse and dry. Then dry fry it first to drive out the moisture and add the oil after it starts to brown.
I enjoyed this dish but the instructions for cooking the eggplant and zucchini were a problem. The eggplant immediately absorbed what little oil was in the pan and it was difficult to "toss" until browned--more like scrape and stir. By the time the zucchini was tender the eggplant was mush. If I make this again I'll try using a nonstick pan for that step, or I'll roast the vegetables instead.
Cook the vegetables first. Add tomatoes later and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add both parsley and basil, off the heat, at the end.
I pretty much followed the recipe and thought it was easy and great. I used a can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes and I had fresh basil and oregano so I simmered them in the sauce and reserved a little fresh for sprinkling on top at the end. No parsley. I did not add any of the reserved pasta water, but tossing in the orecchiette added water. I had parmigiano reggiano and loved it but I'm feeling Romano might be more "authentic," if that is even meaningful. My pasta was De Cecco Orecchiette.
I followed the suggestions for cooking the zuke and eggplant first, and then adding the tomatoes and other ingredients for sauce. It worked out great. Don't see the need for the extra step of cooking them separately. Deelish!
This was simple and good. I added some onion and red and green pepper when it was time to saute the eggplant and zucchini but otherwise followed recipe as best I could, used San Marzano canned tomatoes. I also used the two tablespoons of dried oregano called for in the recipe which is quite a lot, wondered if that was a typo but it came out good.
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