Ready within 25 minutes, this creamy pasta with eggplant and ricotta is the perfect easy Italian pasta. It is made with simple ingredients, like sautéed pancetta and eggplant, tomatoes, ricotta and basil. Filled with fresh flavours, plus an unexpected smoky kick from the pancetta, this pasta dish absolutely screams Italy!
I first tried this pasta dish in Italy (no surprise there right?). My zia Rosaria made it in our Italian kitchen (where I learned to cook so many Italian pasta recipes) for lunch one day, and it was so mouthwatering, that I knew I had to recreate it to share with you.
Something I want to clarify is that this is NOT pasta alla norma. The sicilian dish of pasta alla norma uses eggplant, tomatoes and basil yes. But the similarities end there. It uses ricotta salata which is a harder cheese than regular ricotta, and it's used as only a garnish. The ricotta in this dish is incorporated throughout to make it creamy. Pasta alla norma also does not use pancetta.
This dish makes a great first course (primo) and pairs amazingly well with fried Italian chicken cutlets, or even a simple potato frittata as the second course (secondo). A nice side dish to serve with this would be endive with raisins and pine nuts.
Pasta to use
I think the best pasta to use in this recipe is a short pasta shape. I used mezzi rigatoni (short rigatoni), but my zia used fusilli. Penne would also work, as well as farfalle. Lumache rigate would also be nice. I think you're getting the idea here!
Salting the eggplant (or not)
People usually salt eggplant prior to cooking it to draw out its moisture and bitterness. I do not do that in this recipe, I don't think it's necessary. I have another eggplant pasta recipe with mozzarella that does not salt the eggplant either.
Steps
Cook onion and diced eggplant until softened
Add in the pancetta, and once cooked, pour in the passata along with water from the jar of passata.
Add basil and ricotta to the sauce.
Throw in the pasta and mix all together.
Storing and reheating
If there's any leftovers, you can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I like to reheat on the stove in a pan. Heat up some olive oil in the pan. Add in the pasta, and heat until warmed through.
Tips
- Don't forget to add pasta water once you add the pasta to the pan. This is quite a dense sauce so it needs pasta water to make it more silky and smooth, and simply make the sauce complete
- Make sure to use a large enough pan to fit all the pasta with room, or else it will be hard to stir together with the sauce
Recipe
25-Minute Creamy Eggplant and Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 grams mezzi rigatoni or other short pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ⅓ cup yellow onions diced
- 3 cups eggplant diced
- ¾ cups pancetta diced
- 1 cup tomato passata (crushed strained tomatoes)
- 5 leaves basil
- 1.25 cups ricotta
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and drop the pasta in. Cook until it's before al dente (about 2-3 minutes before it's done cooking, remove it from the pot and place it into the sauce – it will finish cooking in the sauce)
- While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pan (that is large enough to fit the pasta) over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil to the pan. Once heated through, add the onion and diced eggplant. Let it cooked until eggplant is slightly softened, 5-7 minutes.
- Add in pancetta and cook until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add in the passata, along with some water that you've used to rinse out the measuring cup/container with passata in it (about ¼ to ½ cup).
- Let everything cook together until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Adjust for salt and pepper.
- Add in the ricotta and basil and mix once more.
- By this time the pasta should be ready. Drain the pasta, being sure to reserve some pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the pan (still over medium heat), along with pasta water. The pasta water will help to loosen the sauce, and give it a silky texture.
- Cook the pasta in the sauce for a few minutes until cooked to al dente and a nice sauce has formed.
- Plate and enjoy! Top with grated parmigiano reggiano if desired.
Recipe Notes
- You could decide to not add the ricotta to the sauce. It would be delicious with just the onion, eggplant, pancetta, tomatoes and basil. Top with grated parmigiano reggiano once plated and enjoy!
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