- Hey everyone, it's Erin from wellplated.com.
And today I'm going to teach you
how to make a simple super scrumptious Italian pasta recipe
that you can whip up any night of the week.
This is my eggplant pasta.
This recipe is based on the Italian classic pasta,
pasta alla Norma.
Pasta alla Norma is eggplant that is cooked in tomato sauce,
it's finished off with a handful of cheese.
It is divine, but it normally takes a while.
Today I'm gonna show you an easier version
that speeds things along thanks to one of my favorite
store-bought ingredients, which I will show you.
Let's get started.
(upbeat music)
Star of the eggplant pasta, eggplant, of course.
We need one pound which is about two small ones
or one large, dice it up,
you don't need to peel the eggplant or salt it.
Don't worry your eggplant will not be bitter
as long as you dice it fine just like I'm doing here.
I also like to add a red bell pepper.
It's not traditional for pasta alla Norma
but it adds a nice colorfulness and flavor.
Speaking of mm olives, I absolutely adore olives.
They are a great way to make your quick
and easy pasta recipes taste more complex.
If you aren't a fan, you can swap in capers.
They add a really nice saltiness and briny umami note
that makes this pasta taste much harder than it actually is.
Let's head to the stove.
For our eggplant pasta, of course, we need pasta.
Make sure you are salting your water, salty like the sea,
this is key because it is the only time
that flavor actually gets into the noodles themselves.
I'm using fusilli pasta, but any short pasta you have around
will work perfectly.
While it cooks heat up your olive oil
and then saute the eggplant and pepper,
I can already smell it.
I key to make sure that your eggplant isn't soggy
is not to use too much oil and don't overcook it.
Garlic, it's necessary in all Italian food, in my opinion,
plus some salt and pepper.
And of course, a little red pepper flakes
just for some heat.
Ah, that aroma is smelling fantastic.
Now for my shortcut store-bought pasta sauce,
this is a pantry staple.
Pick any flavor you like, I'm using roasted garlic here
and then add it to the stove with the olives.
By the time this simmers together,
it will taste like you spent much longer
on this pasta than you did.
Look at this, our pasta is already ready to go.
Test it, make sure it's perfectly al dente then drain it.
Watch out for that pasta facial.
Zest the lemon into the pasta sauce.
This is going to make it taste bright and lively.
I like to do my zesting and juicing right over the pot
so that any of the oils that emit from the skins
get right into my dish.
I'm using a citrus press.
You totally need one of these and make sure
that you get every drop of juice out of your lemons,
limes and oranges.
Stir it all together, I can just smell the aromas
wafting off of this, it is fantastic.
And I love the look of these colorful, nutritious veggies.
This one of the healthiest ways that you can eat eggplant.
Add our whole grain noodles,
that's right I'm using whole grains to make this a healthy
Italian pasta recipe and then stir it all together.
We are almost done.
I'm gonna add in some herbs for colorfulness
because pasta alla Norma is so simple,
adding little touches like fresh herbs goes a long way
to make your cooking taste its best.
And of course, gotta have cheese.
Instead of the traditional cheese for pasta alla Norma
which is ricotta salata, I have a hard time finding it,
I am swapping in good old Parmesan.
Grate it yourself right off the block
for the absolute best flavor, it makes this pasta nutty.
Okay, let's add a little bit more.
I'm just pretending I'm in the Italian restaurant
and motioning to the server, more cheese, please.
One more stir and our healthy eggplant pasta
is ready to serve.
Da da dum and it's time for the best part,
the part where get to stuff our face
with this delicious eggplant pasta.
It smells so robust and also I cannot believe
how quickly this came together,
I wanna say maybe 20 minutes,
maybe even less if you are super speedy.
I can see big caramelized pieces of that sauteed eggplant.
I love the bright pops from those red peppers
and I'm gonna give myself a little extra sprinkle
of some fresh parsley just for coloring
to make it feel a little fancy even though as you saw,
this could not be any easier.
All right, time for a bite.
(soft upbeat music)
Wow, it tastes like I spent an hour working on this sauce.
Nobody needs to know our little store-bought secret.
The eggplant is so hardy
and even though I know this is a vegetarian pasta recipe
it truly tastes meaty and really satisfying.
But since we have that hit of bright lemon juice in there,
that little bit of saltiness from the olives,
it gives this recipe a light kind of Mediterranean flare
that is just truly truly irresistible.
If you're looking for another meatless pasta
that will fill you up and satisfy carnivores,
be sure to check out my vegetarian lasagna,
and I will see you next time.