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Kid Friendly Recipe
Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato, and Red Chili Pepper Recipe
This is a great recipe that I have adapted from the awesome Marcella Hazan. Everyone loves it (even if you don't love eggplant)! Try munching on a couple of the eggplant cubes when they are fresh out of the pan. They put french fries to shame!
| Prep time: 20 Minutes |
Italian
|
| Cook time: 20 Minutes | Servings: 4 |
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 343g | |
| Recipe makes 4 servings | |
| Calories 245 | |
| Calories from Fat 123 | 50% |
| Total Fat 13.87g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat 2.28g | 9% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 2mg | 1% |
| Sodium 1223mg | 51% |
| Potassium 912mg | 26% |
| Total Carbs 28.24g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 8.3g | 28% |
| Sugars 15.06g | 10% |
| Protein 4.5g | 7% |
Ingredients Convert Measures
- 1 pound eggplant (or 1.5-2 lbs if you love eggplant!)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying eggplant
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
- 2 Tbsp chopped italian parsley (or cilantro or basil if you prefer)
- 2 cups canned Italian style plum tomatoes, chopped with juice (about 1 14.5 oz can)
- Chopped hot red chili pepper to taste (or red pepper flakes if you don't have a whole chili pepper)
- 1 pound pasta (our preference is twisted pasta like rotini or fusilli, or bowtie. Marcella recommends spaghettini.)
Directions
- Trim the eggplant. If skin is thick, peel it. Cut lengthwise into 3/8 in thick slices. Stand the eggplant and salt on both sides--you can use the inside of a pasta colander, pasta pot, or something else--or just rest it on paper towels. Let the eggplant sweat for about 30 minutes to remove bitterness. Pat dry.
- Pour 1 1/2 inches of cooking oil into a pot deep enough to keep oil from splattering. Once oil is hot,put in as many slices of eggplant as you can fit. Fry on one side till golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Then turn and brown other side. Remove to paper towels and repeat with remaining Eggplant. (If the Eggplant needs to be chopped or sliced, as in this dish, I sometimes cut before frying to make it easier to fit more eggplant into the pan at once. This also makes turning easier. I then remove with a slotted spoon instead of tongs.)
- When eggplant is cooling, put the olive oil and garlic in a sauce pan on medium. Cook and stir until garlic becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, parsley, chili pepper and salt, and stir. Adjust head to simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
- Cut the eggplant into slivers or cubes (if you didn't before frying) about 1/2 inch wide or cubed. Add to sauce and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and correct for salt and red pepper.
- While preparing sauce, boil pasta.
- Combine sauce and pasta, stir, and serve immediately with fresh, crusty Italian bread!
- Note: You can fry the eggplant well in advance and refrigerate if you like (even a day or two in advance is OK).
