Pasta with Eggplant and Salted Ricotta

Pasta with eggplant and salted ricotta is a delicious dish that’s quite simple to prepare. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 320 g of short pasta (penne, rigatoni, or similar)
• 2 medium eggplants
• 250 g of peeled tomatoes or tomato purée
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 100 g of salted ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Start by washing the eggplants, cutting them into cubes, and placing them in a colander with some coarse salt. Let them rest for about 30 minutes to lose their bitterness.
2. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
3. Rinse the eggplants to remove the salt and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
4. Heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry the whole garlic cloves until golden, then remove them.
5. Fry the eggplants in the same pan until they are golden and soft. Remove the eggplants and set them aside on paper towels.
6. In the same pan, add the peeled tomatoes or tomato purée, a bit of salt, pepper, and some hand-torn basil leaves. Cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
7. Cook the pasta in the boiling water following the package instructions for al dente.
8. Add the eggplants to the tomato sauce and heat together for a couple of minutes.
9. Drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce and eggplants, mixing gently.
10. Serve the pasta on plates and finish with a generous sprinkling of grated salted ricotta and some fresh basil leaves.

Curiosity

Pasta with eggplant and salted ricotta is a classic of Sicilian cuisine, where salted ricotta is used to give a savory and unique touch to dishes. If you like a more intense flavor, you can add some dried red chili pepper during the frying process.