Pasta with Eggplant and Tuna

Pasta with eggplant and tuna is a simple yet flavorful dish that brings together Mediterranean flavors of fish and vegetables. Let’s see how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti)
• 2 medium eggplants
• 160 g of canned tuna in oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 400 g of peeled tomatoes or tomato puree
• Fresh parsley to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• (Optional) Chili pepper
• (Optional) Capers
• (Optional) Black olives

Preparation

1. Wash and cut the eggplants into cubes. If you prefer, you can peel them; some varieties have a more bitter skin than others. Place the cubes in a colander, sprinkle with plenty of coarse salt and leave them to purge for about 30 minutes to eliminate the bitterness.
2. In the meantime, you can start cooking the pasta in plenty of salted water, following the package instructions for al dente cooking.
3. Rinse the eggplant cubes to remove excess salt and dry them with kitchen paper.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic cloves (remove them when golden if you don’t like them). Add the eggplants and, if you like, a little chili pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until they are golden and soft.
5. Add the crushed peeled tomatoes or tomato puree, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Drain the tuna in oil and flake it. Add it to the pan with the eggplants and let it flavor for a few minutes.
7. If using capers and olives, you can add them to the sauce at this point.
8. Drain the pasta al dente and pour it into the pan with the eggplant and tuna sauce. Mix well to blend the ingredients.
9. Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Curiosity

In some versions of this dish, some people add a sprinkling of grated salted ricotta or pecorino cheese to give an extra touch of flavor. Salted ricotta is particularly common in Sicilian cuisine, which often uses this ingredient in pasta dishes with eggplants.