Pasta with Roasted Eggplant Meat Sauce
This pasta is paired with a roasted eggplant meat sauce, made extra delicious with heavy cream, ricotta cheese, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Equipment
- baking tray
- blender or food processor
- large saucepan
- large mixing bowl
- pot to boil pasta
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant (aubergine) peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion peeled and cut into large chunks
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 cups chicken stock low sodium or unsalted
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup ricotta cheese whole milk
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more as needed
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil optional
- 16 ounces (1 pound) dried pasta noodle of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant and onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Arrange eggplant and onion on the lined baking tray.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until caramelized and tender. Flip the eggplant over halfway into roasting for even cooking.
- Transfer eggplants and onion to a blender. Add chicken stock and blend together until mostly smooth. Set aside eggplant puree.
- Boil water in a large pot for the pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on the package.
- In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Add ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mostly browned. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat while it cooks. Add ½ teaspoon salt, garlic and thyme. Stir and continue cooking until meat is fully cooked. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan and drain the excess using a spoon.
- Add eggplant puree to the saucepan. Mix well with meat. Let sauce simmer on low, covered, for 15 minutes to allow flavor to marry. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Stir in nutmeg, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese. Taste again to make sure the sauce is well seasoned. Once sauce is well mixed, turn heat off.
- Combine sauce and cooked pasta. Top with more parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
Notes
- Substitute ground pork or Italian sausage for ground beef
- If using salted chicken stock, add less additional salt at first. You can always adjust seasoning at the end.