Simple Italian Eggplant Pasta
Simple Italian eggplant pasta is a delicious, fast and easy recipe idea. Made with olive oil, fresh Italian parsley, garlic and chopped eggplant then tossed together with bucatini noodles. This simple yet perfect Pasta Dish will make you think you are in Italy.
There is nothing like summer with all the over abundance of vegetables from your garden or your local farmer. I love the idea that in Canada you can have baskets of fresh off the vine vegetables delivered straight to your door once a week or visit all the local fresh markets around town.
TThis is a keeper! It’s delicious! Brings out the eggplant:s flavor perfectly. Served it with a healthy dose of parmesan and black pepper – really really good!
Eva
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lucky for me, in Italy we have enough land to grow our own and living in a part of the country where we really don’t have to worry about frost we can basically grow fresh veggies 12 months out of the year.
Although every vegetable has its season, sometimes I will hear the phrase “that again?” So this is where imagination and keeping your eyes and ears open in the grocery stores and in everyone else’s kitchen comes in handy.
How many Recipes have I discovered that way?
In fact the first time I ever tried this eggplant pasta recipe was in Italy, in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. She served this Pasta dish for lunch.
I wasn’t very familiar with eggplant and really had no idea what it tasted like. But oh my goodness when I did taste it, it was out of this world!
So this little underrated and unknown to me and I am sure to many others, Italian eggplant pasta dish soon became my favourite for quite a while and in fact it is still one of my favourites.
Recipe ingredients
- Eggplant – medium or small diced or small wedges, I the skin on but you can also remove it if you prefer, if it is very seedy remove the seeds also)
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh Italian parsley
- Oregano
- Hot pepper flakes (if desired)
- Water
- Pasta – cooked al dente
- Freshly grated parmigiano – optional
How to make the perfect Eggplant Pasta Recipe
Slice the eggplant into strips or cubes. Toss the sliced eggplant with a little salt and let sit for about 20 minutes, (this is to bring out any bitterness in the eggplant). Drain but do not rinse.
Saute the eggplant, garlic, herbs, olive oil and a little water together on medium low heat. And a dash or two of hot pepper flakes.
Cook your pasta separately and always al dente. Add the cooked pasta and half a ladle of pasta water to the hot cooked eggplant and saute together for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano.
recipe tip
I often read that you should rinse the eggplant before using, but my mother-in-law never did so I don’t either, that way you don’t need to add any extra salt to the recipe.
How Much Pasta To Use
Rule of thumb is 2 ounces / 57 grams of dry pasta per person. Although you could increase to 2½ ounces / 75 grams. This will yield approximately 1¼ – 1¾ cups cooked.
What’s the best Pasta to use?
When I make this pasta and eggplant I prefer to use a pasta called Bucatini although a short pasta such as penne or rigatoni would also work.
How to cook pasta
Always cook the pasta in enough water, you will need 4 cups (1 litre) for 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) of pasta. Be sure to choose the correct size pot, you don’t want the water to reach the rim and overflow, because pasta, when cooked, can increase in volume up to three times. Always cover the pot when boiling the water, but remove it once the pasta has been added.
Calculate about 7 g of salt for every litre of water. Add the salt only when the water has reached a boil and never before.
How to store the eggplant pasta
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for approximately 2-3 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Pasta Boscaiola with Mushrooms and Sausage
- Pasta Pepper Cream Sauce
- Easy Tomato Sauce
- Tomato, Eggplant & Sausage Pasta
Whenever I make this dish I think, yup now I know why I like it so much! And don’t forget to add a little sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Buon Appetito!
Simple Italian Eggplant Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 small to medium eggplants (sliced diced or small wedges, I the skin on but you can also remove it if you prefer, if it is very seedy remove the seeds also)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 -2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1-2 pinches hot pepper flakes (if desired)
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 cups cooked pasta
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the sliced or cubed eggplant and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt, let sit for 20 minutes, then drain but do not rinse.
- In a large pan add olive oil, garlic, oregano, hot pepper flakes, parsley and drained eggplant. Gently combine together, then add the water, cook uncovered on low/medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes (stirring occasionally), then raise the heat a little, and continue to cook until the water has evaporated and eggplant is tender and golden. Toss with 3 cups cooked pasta, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
- While the eggplant is cooking bring a large pot of water to boiling and add a little salt. Cook the pasta al dente. Then add to the cooked eggplant, add a half ladle of pasta water and cook on medium tossing gently for approximately a minute. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
How Much Pasta To Use
Rule of thumb is 2 ounces / 57 grams of dry pasta per person. Although you could increase to 2½ ounces / 75 grams. This will yield approximately 1¼ – 1¾ cups cooked.How to store the eggplant pasta
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for approximately 2-3 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave.Nutrition
Reposted from July 19, 2014 and still delicious!
It’s All About Pasta
Amazing pasta recipes to make your mouth water!
Authentic Italian Desserts
75 Traditional Desserts Made Easy
Hi! First, you are truly authentic! As a First Generation, from Italy, American, I thought I had lost forever dishes from my Mom after she passed, but you had them. Just the way she made them. Thank you!! My question for this amazing dish, is do you have an easy way to remove seeds from eggplant. Thank you again. Tanti baci!
Hi Pennina, thanks so much, glad you like the recipes. This is one of my favourite pasta recipes. For this I find smaller young eggplant I don’t worry about the seeds because there tend to be less, if not I cut them out of the older eggplant. Take care e tanti baci a te!
Stumbled on this recipe just out of curiosity. To see if there’s a traditional Italian eggplant pasta not involving tomato. This recipe looks like a winner. Going to slice the eggplant in strips as this will pair better with the bucatini. Thanks for posting this recipe. I know this will be at least a four star recipe.
Very easy to make. Added orange bell pepper also.
Hi Lola, thanks, glad you liked it. Take care!
This is a keeper! It’s delicious! Brings out the eggplant:s flavor perfectly. Served it with a healthy dose of parmesan and black pepper – really really good!
Hi Eva, thanks so much, it’s one of my favourites! Take care!
Googled: eggplant + pasta and your recipe came up first. It doesn’t look super sexy but it tastes
absolutely fabulous!
I’ve just made it again.
Thanks to you and your mother in law!
gabi
Hi Gabriella, thanks so much and I know, I keep redoing the recipe (not that I mind because it’s one of our favourites) but the photos are not great lol. Take care.
Do you know if this sauce will freeze well? I have a ton of fairy tail eggplant, and was curious.
Hi Stephanie, I would freeze the drained eggplant, bag it and freeze it. When you are ready to use just continue with the recipe. I probably wouldn’t even thaw it. Hope that helps.
Do you have a recipe for pickled eggplant? We used to put that on an anti pasta plate along with the other goodies. Thanks Cia
Hi CIA, I do, I will try to get it up this weekend. 🙂
the simplicity of this recipe had me skeptical, however because time was short and my eggplant needed to be used up I gave it a try. It was more than satisfactory and will be filed since it is the perfect solution for a quick meal that is delicious.
Hi Ulrike, thanks so much, this was one of the first pasta recipes my MIL made and it became one of my favourites. Sometimes the simplest are the best. Take care.
I may be missing it, but how much uncooked pasta do you cook? 8 ounces, 16 ounces?
Hi Laura, it’s 3 cups cooked pasta. A cup of cooked pasta is roughly 2 ounces. So I would say 6-8 ounces should do it. Hope that helps.
Can you use barilla spaghetti pasta or does it have to be the bucatini pasta?
Hi Desiree, sure spaghetti would work, also rigatoni, penne pretty much whatever you prefer. It’s just usually made with bucatini but you can switch it up. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know.
I finally got my five-year-old daughter to eat eggplant with this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Lily, thanks, that’s great, glad she liked it. Have a great week.
We lay enjoyed this! I haven’t cooked eggplant often and this was easy and tasty. I used fresh oregano from the garden and added a couple of spoons of leftover taco beef to use that up and then thought it was too dry so I threw in 1/2 tin of tomatoes including the juice. Yum!
Hi Kathleen, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful Sunday.
I wan’t crazy about the eggplant’s texture at the level of doneness achieved in the prescribed amount of time, but it might be down to using a regular eggplant instead of “Italian” or “Sicilian” ones (quotes because all eggplants originate in Asia, of course). Nevertheless, it was still tasty and I’ll certainly make it again with a longer cooking time/more water for the eggplant. Greetings from Ottawa.
Oh my gosh I have that exact bowl!! A TJ Max find 😉
Hi Amanda, I got mine at homesense in Toronto, actually I got two and I love them.