Pasta with Eggplant, Portobella, and Tomatoes Recipe

Updated August 30, 2018

Past w mushrooms and eggplant - 4 - large.jpg

I spent a good portion of the last month making eggplant parmesan for the Food Lab article on the subject. This left me with a few things: lots of canned tomatoes, plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a slew of eggplants, and a great microwave-then-cook technique for getting the most out of their texture.

That's about all there is to say about this recipe, other than the fact that it takes about 20 minutes to throw together, and is really good to boot.

Recipe Details

Pasta with Eggplant, Portobella, and Tomatoes Recipe

Active 20 mins

Total 20 mins

Serves 4 servings

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Ingredients

1 medium eggplant (about 1/2 pound) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound short pasta such as rotini or gemelli
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound portabella mushroom caps, cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
3 medium cloves garlic, grated on a microplane (about 3 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Line large plate with double layer of paper towels or clean kitchen towel. Spread eggplant over paper towels. Cover with another double layer of paper towels and place second large plate on top. Microwave on high power until eggplant pieces collapse easily when pressed, 2 to 3 minutes (be careful, plate will be hot). Remove excess moisture from eggplant pieces by pressing down on paper towels with clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
Place pasta in large saucepan and cover with well-salted water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover pot, remove from heat, and allow to cook until pasta is al dente (see back of box for timing). Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of liquid.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and butter in a 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan over high heat until melted and beginning to brown. Add mushrooms and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms have released all their moisture and the mushrooms and eggplant are well-browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Add cooked pasta to sauce, adding extra cooking liquid until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
428	Calories
16g	Fat
62g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g	20%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 17mg	6%
Sodium 703mg	31%
Total Carbohydrate 62g	22%
Dietary Fiber 9g	32%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 23mg	115%
Calcium 100mg	8%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 842mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.