Wait until mid-summer or early autumn to make this pasta sauce.
That’s when eggplants are at their sweetest, cherry tomatoes burst with flavor, and basil perfumes the air as soon as you brush against its leaves.
It’s one of those recipes that asks for very little and gives back everything.
Simple ingredients.
Perfect timing.
And good olive oil.
WHEN VEGETABLES DO THE WORK
This is an easy but deeply satisfying Italian pasta sauce.
The slight bitterness of eggplant meets the juicy sweetness of tomatoes, while fresh basil ties everything together with its unmistakable aroma.
Extra-virgin olive oil envelops the vegetables, creating a light sauce that tastes of summer gardens rather than elaborate cooking.
If you have a basil plant nearby, even better.
Few things smell more Italian than picking a couple of leaves just before tossing them into the pan.
LET THE INGREDIENTS SHINE
There’s no need for complicated techniques here.
The eggplant slowly softens until lightly caramelized.
The tomatoes gently collapse into a delicate sauce.
Only at the end do the basil leaves enter the pan, preserving their fragrance.
It’s a pasta that reminds us how extraordinary a handful of seasonal ingredients can become when left almost untouched.
Italian eggplant pasta sauce
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant 4 if small
- 15-20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 7 oz pasta of your choice - 200 gr
- 4-6 basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
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Dice the eggplant, place them in a colander and spatter them with a teaspoon of salt.
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Clean and cut the cherry tomatoes in two or four.
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Peel and smash the garlic clove with the blade of a big knife.
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Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and brown the garlic. Remove it and add the eggplant.
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Cover and cook, medium heat and stirring every now and then, until the eggplant are well cooked - no white parts - and a little crust forms on the surface.
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Transfer them to a bowl, pour another teaspoon of olive oil into the pan, add the tomatoes, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, cover and cook about ten minutes.
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Bring a big pot of salted water - about 8 cups and two teaspoons of salt - to a boil. Toss in the pasta and cook it according to package directions.
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Cut a few leaves of basil with your hands and sprinkle the tomatoes. Toss in the eggplant and mix, turn off the heat, cover, and set aside.
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Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Mix well and sauté a minute or so, high heat.
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Serve hot and enjoy your Italian eggplant pasta sauce recipe!
Enjoy your eggplant pasta.
Claudia