Penne Pasta with Eggplant
One of my good friends is a huge fan of eggplant, which leaves me completely baffled. I’ve had Eggplant Parmesan a couple times and am just not a fan. I got to thinking maybe it isn’t the eggplant itself that I don’t like … maybe I just don’t like it breaded and fried. So I searched for a different way of making it and found this Penne Pasta with Eggplant recipe.
The eggplant is browned in a large skillet with just a bit of olive oil.
For the crushed tomatoes, I used a can of San Marzano’s imported from Italy.
I used certified organic penne pasta, also imported from Italy.
Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses round out the dish.
Bake it all in a 3 quart casserole to blend the flavors.
The recipe came from my favorite cook book …
… Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.
I’ve loved every recipe I’ve made from this book!
You can get your own copy of this cook book! (I was not asked to promote it.)
So the verdict? I DO like eggplant! And it’s such a pretty vegetable too, with its aubergine color! How about you? Do you like eggplant? Give Penne Pasta with Eggplant a try … it’s easy to make and is fit to serve company!
Penne Pasta with Eggplant
1.5 pounds eggplant
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente and rinsed with cold water
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated Gruyere
Slice eggplant into rounds 1/2 inch thick, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Lightly salt it and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet. Add onion, thyme, and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until onion is softened (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a 3-quart baking dish. Pat eggplant dry. remaining oil in large skillet. Add the eggplant and cook over medium heat until golden and tender, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Season with pepper and toss with the basil. Mix the eggplant with the tomato sauce, pasta, and cheeses in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy!
This looks awesome. I was just in the grocery store this weekend and saw some eggplants. I was going to grab some and realized I didn’t even know how I was going to cook them. I don’t like them breaded either. I didn’t buy them because I knew I’d bring them home and leave them in the refrigerator and end up throwing them away. Now I will pick up a few and make this dish for dinner this weekend!
Thanks for sharing. Hope you and your family have a happy New Year.
Thanks I love this kind of recipe, my fave comfort food!
Wishing you a very happy and blessed New Year’s.
FABBY
WE love eggplant…this dish looks delish!!
Thanks, Jennifer, for sharing this delicious looking recipe! I’ll be pinning this one to use later. Also, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed all the great DIY projects and tutorials in your previous post. The canvas bag is beautiful and I thank you for the tip about lining up the letters to stencil. That has been a problem for me in the past too. The napkins are so pretty and cheerful, but I would be hard pressed to say which design I favor because they are both so cute. We don’t have many pine cones in our yard now. We used to have tons of them but had every single pine tree cut down years ago because every time we had ice the huge limbs, which hold a lot of water, would break off and it was a major ordeal cleaning up afterwards. My daughter still has a lot of them in her yard and when I was over there, helping out with my son-in-law a month or so ago, I was thinking how I would love to paint some of them. I felt like it would be too much work, but after seeing how you do it, it might be a possibility for me now. Thanks for sharing all the great ideas. Wishing you the best in 2015!