Make it rigatoni pasta day with this rigatoni pomodoro with eggplant dish. Quick & simple to prepare, and delicious & satisfying to eat. This eggplant vegetarian pasta dish is great with any short pasta; make it a fusilli or penne pomodoro. Ready in under 30 minutes.
Rigatoni Pomodoro with Eggplant
So simple but so delicious is the name of the game with this rigatoni pomodoro with eggplant.
Tomato and eggplant are the main veggies in this dish. Both are left in significant chunks so that you can individually taste each. Start off with some olive oil and garlic, finish with basil and parmiggiano reggiano, and that’s all you need for this simple dish. This tomato, basil, and eggplant dish is also called Pasta alla Norma.
Rigatoni Pomodoro With Eggplant Ingredients
Rigatoni – This is the pasta shape of choice. However, any short pasta would work well. You could make fusilli, ziti, or penne pomodoro with eggplant. You could also use a gluten free pasta if you want. Here I am using a homemade red lentil rigatoni (see how to make it).
Eggplant – Cut into about 0.5 inch cubes. Peeling the eggplant is up to your personal preference – I prefer to leave it on (it’s high in antioxidants). Importantly, you need to make sure the eggplant cubes are cooked through, which takes some time; they are spongey when undercooked.
Tomatoes – Any good tomatoes work well. I use Roma for this recipe. Make sure to peel the tomatoes (see here for how to peel tomatoes)
Garlic – Just a few cloves, minced or finely sliced
Olive oil – Any good cooking olive oil
Basil – Fresh basil. Chopped at the very end and tossed in the pasta after heat is off.
Parmiggiano Reggiano – Grated and tossed in the pasta after heat is off.
Making Rigatoni With Tomato and Eggplant
Making rigatoni pomodoro is simple. Make sure that you cook the eggplant thoroughly, or it will have a spongey texture. This ingredient takes the longest to cook. I prefer cooking it in the oven while everything else is working. Then you can toss it in at the end. Alternatively, you can saute it in the pan.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. I recommend a short pasta such as rigatoni, fusilli, penne, or ziti.
Heat up olive oil in a pan or pot that is large enough to hold the pasta. Add peeled diced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Toss in the roasted eggplant and cook for a few more minutes. Add the pasta and with some of the pasta water and simmer for a few minutes.
When there is a little liquid left in the pan, turn of the heat. Sprinkle the grated parmiggiano into the pasta and toss well, until cheese is completely emulsified in the sauce. You can do this in steps – add some grated cheese, toss well, add some more cheese, toss well, etc. Finally, chop your fresh basil, add it to pasta, and toss gently.
Finishing Eggplant Rigatoni Pomodoro
Serve your hot pasta immediately. Top with reserved grated cheese and chopped basil. Leftovers will keep in fridge for two to three days.
Rigatoni Pomodoro with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 1 whole eggplant, cut in 0.5 inch cubes peeling optional
- 8 whole roma tomatoes, peeled and cored, cut in 0.5 inch chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 0.75 cup parmiggiano reggiano, grated
- 12 leaves basil, cut into strips (chiffonade)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water according to package directions
- Cook cubed eggplant eggplant in 350 deg oven until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes
- Heat up olive oil in a large saute pan. Add peeled, diced tomates. Cook for about two or three minutes. Add oven roasted egglant and toss. Cook another three minutes. Add minced garlic and toss. Cook two minutes, until garlic is just cooked and fragrant (don't brown the garlic).
- Add the rigatoni to the saute pan with about half a cup of the pasta water. Toss and simmer for about two minutes.
- Turn off heat, and toss in 80% of the parmiggiano. Toss and/or mix well to emulsify the cheese into the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency of sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately. Top with remaining cheese and chopped basil.
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Delicious! I used normal rigatoni pasta
Wheat pasta is always delicious – glad you enjoyed