Pasta with eggplant, olives and tomato sauce

Name: Pasta with eggplant, olives and tomato sauce
Ingredients: 350 g short pasta; 2500 ml water; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 6 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large eggplant (350 g); 250 g tomato sauce; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 100 g pitted black olives; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 30 g grated Parmesan

Pasta/Pizza - Pasta with eggplant, olives and tomato sauce by Constanta M. - Recipia

Eggplant softens under the lid before the sauce goes in, and pasta with eggplant, olives and tomato sauce comes together nicely on the plate. The sauce clings to the short pasta, with soft pieces of eggplant and olive rounds; grated Parmesan finishes it at serving. I like to put Parmesan on each serving separately. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 32 minutes. Total: 47 minutes. Servings: 4. About 600 kcal and 16 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

350 g short pasta
2500 ml water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large eggplant (350 g)
250 g tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
100 g pitted black olives
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
30 g grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes in 2500 ml water with 1 teaspoon salt, until cooked but still firm. Drain. 2. Dice the eggplant. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the cubes and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then cover the pan. Cook for 12 minutes, until softened. 3. Add the tomato sauce, oregano, basil, sliced olives, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, until it thickens and is no longer watery. 4. Add the pasta to the pan and toss it with the sauce. Serve hot, with grated Parmesan.

Notes

Keeps in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 days; when reheating, a tablespoon of water in the pan helps loosen the sauce from the pasta. When I've had olives with pits, I removed them before slicing the olives into rounds. Some black olives are already quite salty, so taste the sauce before adding more salt. Choose a firm eggplant with shiny skin; a very soft one may fall apart when you toss the pasta. If the tomato sauce is watery, leave it over low heat for a few more minutes, until it no longer pools at the bottom of the pan. For a gluten-free version, replace the pasta with 350 g gluten-free pasta; you can leave out the Parmesan for a dairy-free dish. A simple green salad, well drained, goes well alongside.

Frequently asked questions

What short pasta holds the sauce well?

Sedanini, fusilli and rigatoni work well. For rigatoni, shorten the cooking time by 1 minute from the time on the package, since it will be tossed in the pan afterward.

Can I swap the black olives for green ones?

Yes, use pitted green olives. If they're very salty, rinse them under cold water for 10 seconds.

Do I need to peel the eggplant?

No, you can leave the skin on. If it's very tough, peel it in strips about 1 cm wide.

Can I use frozen eggplant?

Yes, use 300 g frozen eggplant, thaw it in a sieve and drain the liquid well before adding it to the pan.