Description
A Sicilian classic, this pasta dish features fried eggplant, rich tomato sauce, and salty ricotta salata. A simple yet satisfying vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 eggplants
- sea salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 17 oz (500 g) tomato pulp
- 5 basil leaves
- 11 oz (320 g) rigatoni
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g) ricotta salata cheese
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant and lightly salt it. If desired, peel the eggplant before salting. Put a plate on top, press down, and let it sit for 30 minutes to draw out excess water.
- Drain and dry the eggplants on kitchen paper.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the eggplants until golden brown.
- Brown the garlic in olive oil, then remove it.
- Cook the tomato pulp until it thickens, adding a pinch of brown sugar to reduce acidity.
- When the tomato pulp is almost cooked, add basil.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and arrange the fried eggplants on top.
- Garnish with a generous sprinkling of salted ricotta.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use a mix of ripe red and yellow tomatoes instead of tomato pulp.
- If you don’t have ricotta salata, you can substitute with Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, but the salty, slightly sweet flavor of ricotta salata is essential.
- To prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil, ensure it’s completely dry before frying and don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir-Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 12
- Cholesterol: 20