Take simple spaghetti up a notch with fried eggplant and toasted pine nuts for crunch.
Directions for: Spaghetti with Fried Eggplant and Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
cup + 4 tbsp olive oil
1 large eggplant, cubed
Salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
tsp chili flakes
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
500 g spaghetti
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
cup pine nuts, toasted
Directions
1. In a large skillet over high heat, add your olive oil. When its hot, put in your eggplant in small batches and fry it until igolden. Using a slotted spoon, place fried pieces on a plate with paper towel to remove excess oil. Salt it immediately.
2. In a separate saucepan, heat olive oil and saut garlic and chili flakes, throw in your tomatoes, a bit of salt and cook until nice and soft. When theyre ready, remove your garlic cloves and add your fried eggplant. Toss to combine.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and add your pasta.
4. Place your eggplant tomato mixture into a mixing bowl and puree using a blender or immersion blender until completely uniform. If its a little thick, you can add a ladleful of pasta water to thin it out. Add basil leaves and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and combine.
5. When the pasta is almost al dente, add to your sauce along with a bit of reserved pasta water and finish cooking it in the sauce. Remove from heat.
6. Sprinkle with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir until combined. Top with pine nuts. Serve immediately.
See more: Dinner, Main, Pasta, Vegetables, Vegetarian