This Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce is the ultimate Summer to Fall transition recipe. It’s made with seasonal ingredients, including eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers. And it’s just cozy enough to be enjoyed on those first few cooler evenings that are starting to set in. I’ve eaten it three times already this past week!
There are many things that I love about this recipe. But there is one thing that I don’t love about it: the color. Ooouf. This sauce is not the prettiest. I’m aware of that fact. There is no need to message me and tell me that it looks gross or whatever (always so helpful!). But the flavor is amazing. And I didn’t want to withhold it from you just because it’s not winning any beauty contests. So go put on your rose-colored glasses and give it a try!
OK. Now back to some of the things I love about this recipe:
(1) All the ingredients for the sauce are roasted together in a single pan. Just toss them all with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and slide them into your pre-heated oven for 45 minutes. So easy and hands off!
(2) This is a great way to enjoy eggplant if the texture normally bothers you. Sometimes the texture of eggplant skeeves me out. But in this recipe, it’s roasted and blended into a smooth sauce with all the other ingredients. There is no weird chewy-ness or spongy-ness to contend with.
(3) You’ll very likely have some leftover sauce. Hooray for leftovers! I froze what remained to be enjoyed later. My future self is very thankful.
Please note that the sauce for this recipe is very thick. It’s more like a purée than a sauce in its initial stages. So monitor your blender closely when you’re blending it and stop to add a bit of liquid, if needed. And you will need some pasta cooking liquid to create the final dish at the end, so don’t forget to reserve some when you’re draining your pasta!
Cheers,
Liz
Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 4 cups peeled and cubed eggplant
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1 red pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb (16 ounces) rigatoni pasta (or a similar tube-shaped pasta)
- 8 ounces (2 balls) burrata cheese, drained
- Fresh basil leaves, torn if large
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, shallots and garlic to a 9X13-inch baking pan. It’s OK if the vegetables aren’t in a single layer. They will shrink down as they cook. Drizzle with 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Then transfer the baking pan your pre-heated oven and roast for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.
- Carefully transfer all the roasted vegetables, plus any accumulated juices, to your blender. Add the remaining olive oil, basil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Blend on high until completely smooth. The sauce will be very thick. If your blender is having trouble puréeing it, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid (i.e. broth/stock, pasta cooking liquid, olive oil) to help loosen the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer the sauce to a clean container and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rigatoni and cook it according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
- Add the cooked rigatoni back to the pot along with about half of the sauce and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Stir to coat the rigatoni, adding more sauce and/or cooking liquid as needed to achieve your desired level of saucy-ness and consistency. It’s likely you won’t use up all the sauce.
- Divide the rigatoni among serving plates. Tear the burrata cheese into pieces and nestle it into the rigatoni. Top with fresh basil and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.
