Eggplant tomato sauce with pasta

A vegan pasta sauce made with eggplants, tomato, red wine (or substitute) and other aromatics. The sauce has a touch of heat from chili flakes and is a hearty and nutritious way to serve your pasta.

Growing up in a Greek home, we ate eggplant a lot! My Baba and Mama would grow it in the garden – they still do! There are so many wonderful and traditional Greek recipes that include eggplant (you can find most of them by using the search bar on this site!), including of course the iconic moussaka, a layered casserole of meat, potatoes, eggplants and a rich topping of béchamel sauce. Another layered eggplant recipe that I think you will like is this Eggplant, potato and mozzarella baked casserole!

Love this recipe

Alas, I married a man who hates eggplant. It’s true. He has other wonderful qualities, and he proudly grows beautiful eggplants in the garden, but he will rarely eat them. He’s the guy who picks the eggplant slices out of moussaka (which I happily transfer to my plate). He’s the one who will sort through the pile of fried zucchini and fried eggplant chips to select only the zucchini. He’s the dad who makes a point of not eating any of our vegan stuffed eggplants because he “is saving them” for our girls, who love them. But this eggplant tomato sauce with pasta? Guys…this he ate! And (drum roll please) he loved liked it!

I still can’t believe it. On a day that this gem of a gardener brought in about 6 freshly picked eggplants this recipe was born. I had played around with this idea for a while, and finally got it just right. Still, although I love this recipe and its bold flavour – I wasn’t convinced that my husband, who won’t even try the classic Greek dish of fried eggplant with tomato sauce, would enjoy it. Sometimes though, hunger and the encouragement of a wife wins, and so he had a taste. Then a second. Then a third. And then, with a bit of resolve and some tomato sauce on his chin, he declared, “I’ll eat eggplant, but only like this”. Eggplant tomato sauce with pasta for the win!

Key ingredients

Don’t be turned off by the seemingly long list of ingredients – there is nothing obscure or fancy or super expensive listed. You may already have many of these items in your kitchen!

Eggplant Also known as aubergines, the eggplant is the star of this meal. They are meaty and hearty, and they make a really rich and flavourful sauce. Eggplants are almost like sponges – they really do absorb all the flavours around them.

Salt I use salt to help draw out the excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplant. It really makes a difference in this recipe so I recommend you not skip this step!

Olive oil I only use Greek olive oil, and the best quality olive oil that I can find. I am fortunate that I receive olive oil from my family olive groves in Greece, but you can also find small producers that import quality olive oil that you can trust.

Onion I use a basic yellow onion for this recipe. It caramelizes well and has a subtle sweetness.

Garlic A bit of garlic is a must here! Be careful not to burn it when you are sautéeing it.

Bay leaf I add the bay leaf before I add the tomato sauce so that it infuses the oil a little bit.

Chili flakes I like to add a bit of heat to this sauce, and chili flakes are perfect. Not too hot, and you can easily add as much, or as little, as you like.

Red wine I use red wine to help deglaze my pan. If you are worried about the alcohol, know that the alcohol burns off during the cooking process – all you are left with is the flavour. Still, if you are worried, or simply prefer to avoid the alcohol, you can use a combination of balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce instead.

Tomato sauce I use the best quality tomato sauce I can find, and that usually means my homemade tomato sauce made with my parents. Otherwise, a good quality Greek or Italian tomato sauce will do.

Vegetable stock I try to find unsalted vegetable stock so that I can control the sodium myself.

Tomato paste This concentrated tomato flavour helps to add a real depth of flavour to the sauce, and also helps thicken it a little bit. So good!

Tomato I like to add a freshly chopped tomato to this sauce as well. It really brings a wonderful texture and brightness to the sauce.

Basil Fresh basil added just before serving is a delicious addition.

Pasta Although any pasta will do, I find that this sauce goes best with a short pasta like a rigatoni or a penne or a fusilli.

How to make it

You need one pot to make this amazing eggplant pasta sauce, and then another pot to boil your pasta. It is easy to make a hearty, vegan meal following these simple steps.

Preparation

Cut the eggplant into small cubes, about the size of a die. Do not peel the eggplant. Next, sprinkle the eggplant with salt and toss to coat. Drain in a colander set over a bowl or shallow plate for about 30 minutes. This will remove some of the water and bitterness from the eggplant.

Instructions

Step 1
Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion for about 5 minutes along with the bay leaf. Add the chili flakes and the finely chopped garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Step 2
Rinse the eggplant and add it to the pot with the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until the eggplant is nice and soft. Stirring regularly to avoid the eggplant from sticking.

Step 3
Deglaze your pan with the red wine or with the balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Add in the tomato paste and stir. Cook for about 1 minute.

Step 4
Next add in the diced tomato, the tomato sauce and the vegetable stock. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.

Step 5
Cook, covered over low-medium heat for about 20 minutes. Remove lid and finish cooking for about 5 minutes.

Step 6
Add the basil to the sauce after you have removed it from the heat, and just before combining it with the pasta. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe substitutions

Instead of tomato sauce you can use a good quality tomato passata. You can also substitute the wine for balsamic vinegar and some tomato sauce as mentioned.

If you do not have basil but still want a fresh herb taste, add in some finely chopped parsley.

Helpful hints

Eggplants come in many different varieties.

You can purchase, and grow, a number of different eggplant varieties. Most will work just fine in this recipe. I use either the Globe eggplant or the Italian eggplant in this eggplant tomato sauce with pasta. Both work really well, and both grow in our (or my parents’) garden. You can also use other varieties; the Chinese eggplant would probably work really well too.

You can use any type of pasta shape you like.

It’s so wonderful to see the various shapes of pasta which are available – they can make the same meal seem different every time you make it. For this recipe I like to use short pastas, like penne or fusilli. You can use any pasta shape you like however; be creative and enjoy!

Keep it vegan, or not.

Having hearty, nutritious, easy and loved-by-all vegan meals available is so important. When you are cooking for someone on a plant-based diet, or during periods of lent, it can be challenging. A non-vegan meal for the meat-eaters, and a vegan meal for the non-meat eater means…2 meals! With a recipe like my eggplant tomato sauce with pasta, you can serve it to everyone who is eating. The vegans will be happy, and the meat-eaters will be too!

If a vegan meal is not a concern however, then you can also top each serving with some grated parmesan cheese or grated Greek mizithra cheese. Yum!

Storing and freezing

You can store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.

This eggplant tomato sauce freezes very well.

Having frozen meals and sauces ready is a life saver! When evenings are busy it is so tempting to rely on take-out or cereal for dinner (both great options sometimes). Freezer ready meals allow you to have homemade goodness ready any night of the week.

I tend to use freezer bags to freeze things like this eggplant pasta sauce. Fill your bag, lay it flat in the freezer until frozen, and then store them upright (which makes it easier to see them). Defrost the night before in the refrigerator, or in the microwave a little while before you need it.

Remember, freeze only the sauce. Cook the pasta when you need it and then proceed with mixing the sauce and pasta together as described in the recipe.

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How to serve

This eggplant pasta sauce is really a meal on its own. If you want to add something to the pasta however, consider a nice light salad like the classic Greek Maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad) (Psilokomeni) or a fresh flavourful Fennel salad. Either of these would be great options!

Related recipes

Looking for more eggplant recipes? I think you will love these:

Cod with eggplant and potatoes This is the type of meal you would find in a Greek Yiayia’s kitchen. Absolutely incredible!

Melitzanosalata or Eggplant dip Easy and simple – this traditional Greek eggplant dip is great with pita wedges or veggies. Bonus, it is vegan, so also perfect for Lent.

Fried eggplant with tomato sauce This is a favourite! The only way to describe this recipe is sublime!

Fried eggplant chips Crispy, not greasy at all, this is the only recipe you need for fried eggplant chips!

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Thanks for sharing!