This light and easy summery eggplant and fresh tomato pasta sauce is one filling vegetarian meal you will crave and make again!
The stars of the dish are the delicious in season, eggplant and tomatoes. They are browned to perfection in olive oil with onion and garlic, then tossed with pasta and fresh mozzarella cheese. You can also serve it on top of Easy Polenta Recipe Authentic Italian Style.
I love light and easy pasta sauces in the summer such as: Pasta with Salsa Fresca (fresh tomato sauce) , Easy Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad, Panzanella Stuffed Mozzarella. Complete these summer meals with Frozen Lemon Dessert (Creamy Lemony Treat).
Simple Ingredients
- Pasta variety of choice
- Eggplants, cut into cubes
- Fresh Heirloom tomatoes (or, cherry tomatoes, even canned tomatoes)
- Onion (or half a large onion), diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, keep on stem (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Optional: freshly grated parmigiano, or burrata cheese for serving
How to Make Eggplant and Tomato Pasta Sauce
Start by taking some of the liquid out of the eggplant, so it doesn't absorb too much oil (see cooking eggplant tip below). After the eggplant and tomatoes are soft and caramelized in texture and flavor simply season with rosemary and toss with hot pasta.
Lastly, we add globs of fresh mozzarella, torn by hand, to create the perfect cheese pockets in the sauce. This is a marriage made in summer veggie pasta heaven!
TIPS: Cooking with Eggplant
If you've ever prepared a dish involving eggplant, then you've probably had to salt it before sautéing, baking, or frying it. You know, to remove all the excess moisture you don't want to seep into your meal and make everything a watery mess.
But apparently there's a better trick than laying out slices of the vegetable and dousing it in salt.
According to the Kitchn, you can just as easily microwave eggplant to pre-cook it and remove excess water without the added sodium and extra waiting time for it to "sweat" it out.
Here's the process: Slice or cube the eggplant, place it on a plate with a couple of sheets of paper towels and cook on high for five minutes. Voila—you're done.
No more waiting around and eating super salty veggie dishes again.
Summer Produce
Summer is meant for fresh produce and easy meals. I don't like to add too many ingredients to the eggplant and tomatoes sauce in order to let their flavors shine.
Eggplants
Eggplant is a high-fiber, low-calorie food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many potential health benefits.
From reducing the risk of heart disease to helping with blood sugar control and weight loss, eggplants are a simple and delicious addition to any healthy diet.
If you love eggplant you must try some of my other recipes: Baked Eggplant Slices Recipe with Ricotta Cheese, Sauteed Italian Eggplant, Grilled Eggplant.
Tomatoes
If you have gorgeous and fresh garden tomatoes- use them! If you don't you can also use a good variety of canned tomatoes. They will produce a delicious sauce as well.
Pasta
I love the fun texture and shape of the rigatoni pasta. The word rigatoni, which comes from the word “rigato” meaning ridged, are short, wide tubes of pasta that have ridges on the outside, but are smooth on the inside Italian.
Tubular pasta, especially big tubes, work best with a chunkier veggie pairing.
You can certainly use any pasta variety you like! If you don’t have rigatoni on hand, such as farfalle (bow tie) or penne.
I like that the rigatoni are about the same size as the cut eggplant, so you get the perfect bite with all the components of the dish.
A short pasta shape such as the rigatoni variety allows me to get that bite I desire with a little bit of eggplant, tomato, cheese and pasta all in one BITE.
VARIATIONS for Eggplant and Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Use this sauce in place of Sugo al Pomodoro (Classic Italian Tomato Sauce) sauce to make baked ziti, it comes out delicious!
- If you’re not a fan of eggplant skin, you can peel it before cooking.
- If you prefer canned tomatoes use those!
From my cucina to your table, Mangia! Mangia! (Eat!)
Made with Amore, Elena
Tasty eggplant and tomato sauce tossed with pasta and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese is the best summertime meal!
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Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella
This easy summery pasta is just as much about the vegetables as it is about the pasta. The stars of the dish are the delicious, in season, eggplant and tomatoes. They are browned in pan with olive oil, onion, and garlic. Once the eggplant and tomatoes are soft and caramelized in texture and flavor simply season with rosemary and toss with hot pasta. This is a marriage made in summer veggie pasta heaven!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454 g) short pasta variety of choice
- 2 large eggplants, cut into cubes
- 1 large/ 2 small ripe heirloom tomatoes, diced (or 4 small Roma tomatoes, diced)
- 1 small onion (or half a large onion), diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, keep on stem (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Optional: freshly grated parmigiano for serving
Instructions
- Place eggplant in a microwave safe dish and cover with three paper towels. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary. Cook one minute to release fragrance. Add eggplant and tomatoes. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly golden brown and soft. Remove rosemary sprig and discard.
- Meanwhile boil a large pot of water. Add salt to season water and cook pasta until 'al dente' directions. Before straining the pasta reserve ¼ cup pasta water and set aside.
- As soon as eggplant mixture is done cooking turn off heat, season with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. If needed add a little of the pasta water to make more of a sauce. Add a drizzle of olive oil on top and serve hot or room temperature. Optional: freshly grated parmigiano. Great as leftovers.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: eggplant, tomatoes, main dish, main meal, pasta, Italian recipe, vegetarian, rosemary, easy dinner, easy recipe
Elena says
We make this recipe often and the kids love it!
★★★★★