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This light and easy summery eggplant pasta sauce is one filling vegetarian meal you will crave and make again! The gooey burrata nestled in the pasta and sauce takes this summer pasta dish to the next level!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The stars of the dish are the delicious in season, eggplant and tomatoes. This recipe is similar to pasta alla norma- only easier! They are browned in olive oil with onion and garlic, then tossed with pasta and fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese. You can also serve it on top of Easy Polenta for a gluten-free variation.
I love light and easy pasta sauces in the summer, such as Cherry Tomato Pasta, Pasta with salsa fresca, or my Tortellini Pasta Salad.
Simple Ingredients
- Pasta variety of choice
- Eggplants
- Fresh cherry tomatoes ( Heirloom tomatoes or canned cherry tomatoes)
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh rosemary, keep on stem (or one teaspoon dried rosemary)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Basil for garnish and extra flavor
- Optional: freshly grated parmigiano (parmesan cheese) or burrata cheese for serving. (Check out my post on mozzarella vs burrata for more info!)
How To Make Eggplant Tomato Sauce
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 the eggplant and tomatoes. Cook until golden brown and soft. Remove the 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 1/4 cup pasta water and set aside.
As soon as the eggplant mixture is done cooking, turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine.
If needed, add a little of the pasta water to make a thicker sauce. Drizzle olive oil on top, and serve hot or at room temperature.
Lastly, we add globs of fresh mozzarella (burrata or ricotta salata also work) to create the perfect cheese pockets in the sauce. This pasta dish is a marriage made in summer ingredient heaven!
Expert Tips
- If you’ve ever prepared an eggplant dish, 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 you can ensure that your eggplant pasta sauce isn’t overly salty!
Recipe Variations
- 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!
- Add some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Roast the eggplant in the oven the traditional way for a more robust flavor.
Storage Instructions
You can store this eggplant pasta sauce the same way you would any other sauce – put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. This recipe will freeze well and stay in the freezer for a few months.
You’ll also love my baked eggplant stacks, caponata, and eggplant parmigiana.
More Recipes for YOUR Table
Delicious Italian Inspired Summer Recipes
Italian Frittata Recipe with Spinach
Italian Frittata Recipe Peas, Onions, and Ricotta
Easy Polenta Recipe Authentic Italian Style
Tasty eggplant and tomato sauce tossed with pasta and topped with fresh cheese is the best summertime meal!
Eggplant Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound short pasta variety of choice
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 pints (about 24 oz) cherry tomoates or small grape tomaotes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, keep on stem (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup burrata cheese, cut or torn into piece
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- 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. Pat to absorb any excess water. 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 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown, slightly charred, 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 1/4 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- tossing in the hot pan. If needed add a little of the pasta water to make more of a sauce.
- Place the pasta on a serving platter and nestle in pieces of the burrata cheese into the warm pasta. Add a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes on top of the pasta and serve warm. Optional: add freshly grated parmigiano cheese. Great as leftovers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We make this recipe often and the kids love it!