Name: Pasta with Baby Eggplants
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 480 gms – 1 lb. short pasta; 700 gms – 1 ½ lbs. baby eggplants; 4 garlic cloves; Mint leaves; 60 gms – 2 oz. Pecorino Romano (chopped); 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 ½ lt. – 6 cups tomato puree; Salt and pepper to taste; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; Pecorino Romano (finely grated to serve)

Finally I am back with another pasta recipe! This Pasta with Baby Eggplants is a dish my grandmother used to make in Sicily. I have always loved it… it’s very easy to make and whenever I find baby eggplants at the grocer, I always buy them to make this pasta. What sets this sauce aside from any other tomato sauce with eggplants, is the Pecorino Romano, garlic and mint that goes into the eggplant before they get cooked in the sauce. The mixture gives a special taste to the final dish and something that will leave your taste buds asking for more, I can assure you! Enjoy and buon appetito!

Pasta with Baby Eggplants

Pasta with Baby Eggplants - a delicious Sicilian pasta sauce made with baby eggplant, garlic, Pecorino Romano and mint.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

480 gms – 1 lb. short pasta
700 gms – 1 ½ lbs. baby eggplants
4 garlic cloves
Mint leaves
60 gms – 2 oz. Pecorino Romano chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lt. – 6 cups tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Pecorino Romano finely grated to serve

Instructions

Wash and trim the baby eggplants and keep aside.
Chop 2 of the garlic cloves and mix some salt and pepper in a bowl.
Cut some slits on the sides of the baby eggplants and fill them with some of the chopped garlic, salt and pepper mixture, and mint leaves. Do that for all the eggplants.
Halve the remaining garlic and sauté it in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil. Add the tomato puree, mix and bring to a boil.
Heat up the vegetable oil in a frying pan and brown the eggplants in it on all sides.
Add the fried eggplants to the tomato sauce. Season with salt to taste, cover, and let the sauce cook for 30 minutes or until it thickens.
Cook the pasta following the steps on How to cook pasta “al dente” in the Techniques page of this site. Drain it and top with the tomato sauce and eggplants. Mix well.
Serve immediately with a generous amount of finely grated Pecorino Romano on the top.