I've put this recipe on my short list many times over the last few years. It always sounds promising, but somehow I never quite seem to get around to making it. Not this time! I finally made it. And it was great!

I ended up using tinned tomatoes instead of fresh because I had some open in the fridge that needed to be used up. And I couldn't get any fresh basil, so I had to roll with dried. Not my preference, but whatcha gonna do?

I think the only possible change I'd make is to double the sauce quantity. I mean, it was fine the way it was. I think it was an appropriate amount of sauce for one pound of pasta. But the sauce was tasty and I wouldn't've been opposed to having even more of it. Plus, it'd give you more veggies per portion. So that seems like a win.

Bucatini with Eggplant and Tomatoes

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 500g eggplant, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 450g bucatini
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 c. diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

1. Toss eggplant with sugar and salt, cover, and microwave for ~6 minutes.
2. Line a plate with paper towels, transfer eggplant to prepared plate, and set aside to drain.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil¹, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
4. Reserve 1/2 c. of the pasta cooking water, then drain the noodles and set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the now-empty pot.
6. Add the eggplant and pepper and cook for ~4 minutes.
7. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute.
8. Add tomatoes and reserved cooking water and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.
9. Remove from heat and add pasta. Toss to combine.
10. Sprinkle with basil and serve topped with cheese.

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Variations

Double Sauce Variation

Ingredients

• 1kg eggplant, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 tsp. sugar
• 450g bucatini
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 c. diced tomatoes
• 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 2 Tbsp. dried)
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, to serve

Eggplant will likely need more time in the microwave to soften and cook.

Vegan Version

The recipe is already vegan as is. Just make sure you're using vegan sugar and don't top it with cheese at the end. Or, alternatively, top it with nutritional yeast or a plant-based cheese of your choice.

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¹ Cook's Country recommends 4 quarts (~4L) of water with 1 Tbsp. of salt. I always found I that liked my noodles just fine -- usually even better, actually -- without the salt, so I never used to salt the water. Lately I have been finding that I do appreciate a little salt, but I still don't add anywhere near as much as they call for. For 3-4L of water and 450g of pasta, I've found that 1 tsp. of salt is about right for me. ^Back