The Glossiest Pasta Sauce

An eggplant pasta recipe.

Saucy Eggplant Pasta

Hey! Please read the recipe before trying to throw these ingredients together. I wrote out detailed and specific chronological steps to ensure this recipe is easy and functional for your kitchen.

Stuff you need: large skillet with a lid and a large pot.

Ingredients

• 8 oz (4 servings) bucatini or spaghetti pasta 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 8 whole garlic cloves, peeled 

• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

• 1 medium globe eggplant, skinned (or 4 cups skinned and roughly chopped eggplant)

• 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes 

• 1 1/2 tablespoon capers

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter

• Optional, for serving: fresh basil, a drizzle of good tasty olive oil

Instructions

1. Use a peeler or knife to remove the skin off the eggplant. Roughly the eggplant into 2-4 inch slices. (Size doesn’t matter here!)

2. Add the olive oil, tomato paste, garlic cloves, and chili flakes to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the garlic cloves turn golden brown and the tomato paste starts to deepen in color, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the chopped eggplant, tomatoes, capers, and salt to the skillet. Stir everything together, ensuring no tomato paste is sticking to the base of the skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and let simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

4. Uncover the skillet and continue to simmer the sauce for at least 15-20 minutes, or longer enough for the eggplant to completely dissolve and the tomatoes begin to burst/soften. 

5. Start the pasta while the sauce simmers: In a separate, large pot, boil water and salt it with 2 tablespoons of salt. 

6. Cook your pasta for 1-2 minutes less than its package instructions call for. Once the pasta is done, use a glass measuring cup or medium bowl to collect at least 2 cups of pasta water. I like to set the vessel for pasta water in the sink and strain the pasta directly into the vessel to reserve the pasta water. Keep the pasta in its original (now dry) pot off the heat. 

7. Stir and taste the eggplant sauce. Note that the pasta water will add extra salt, so don’t season it at this point. The sauce should be thick and eggplant melted into a sauce, with some tomatoes still intact. 

8. Transfer the sauce, butter, and one cup of pasta water into the pot of strained pasta and set the pot over medium heat. Stir and toss the pasta with the sauce and butter. Taste the sauce once the butter is melted and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of your spatula. Add more pasta water if your sauce is too thick. Add more salt if necessary. 

9. Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil!