Tomato Eggplant Pasta Sauce

This sauce is super easy to make, no fancy ingredients involved, and it’s so flavorful you just want to dive into it. Perfect, really fresh eggplants are the secret. They are sometimes a little hard to find, but if you see them in your store, grab and enjoy them. The simplicity of this recipe really lets them stand out. And yes, I get it, you either love them or you don’t. I think often it’s not the eggplant itself but the way it was prepared. For my palate, they have to be fully cooked with still some texture, not half raw. If you’re here reading this, you probably know that I use eggplants quite often in my recipes, so yes – I’m in love with this tasty, beautiful, shiny, plump fruit that comes disguised as a vegetable.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 large eggplant or a few smaller ones (about 20 oz/550 g), ends removed, cut into about 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes
• 3.5 lb (1600 g) tomatoes, diced
• 6 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (omit or reduce, if you don’t like spicy!)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 generous Tbsp homemade veggie broth concentrate (or store-bought to taste)
• 1 lb (about 500 g) of your favorite pasta for 4 people (I used gluten free, organic edamame spaghetti from “Explore Cuisine“)
• fresh chopped basil galore
• vegan Parmesan, optional (I like “Follow your Heart” brand …. until I come up with my own 😉 )

Preparation:

Wash and cut your fresh ingredients, except for the basil.

Preheat a large saucepan or pot on medium heat. Add olive oil, then diced onion, and sauté for about 10 minutes until soft.

Add eggplant and sauté for 5 more minutes while stirring occasionally.

Now add all the remaining ingredients, except for the fresh basil, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat a little bit and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes while stirring occasionally. The eggplant should be soft with still a little bite, and you should have a nice, thick sauce.

While sauce is simmering, follow instructions on package to prepare your favorite pasta.

Chop fresh basil.

Season your sauce to taste, then stir in some basil and leave the rest for garnish.

Serve and enjoy immediately with or without vegan Parmesan.

Notes:

• I don’t think you will need extra hot sauce for this sauce. If you are sensitive to spicy food, you might want to reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes 😉
• The gluten free “Explore Cuisine” pasta is definitely our house favorite. It is very forgiving with another minute or two of extra cooking time (because you forgot to set the timer), and is as good reheated as it was the first time.
• I don’t see any reason why you should not serve this with rice as well. I love both!