If you miss Bolognese, this meatless Vegan Eggplant Pasta is for you. It's rich, hearty, and loaded with flavor from garlic, chilies, and olives. Even those who think they don't like eggplant love this rustic pasta dish.
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Nothing beats pasta when you're looking for a comforting meal. And it's easy to use seasonal vegetables to make incredible sauces.
Like pasta with Swiss chard in the spring and pasta with Romanesco cauliflower in the fall, Vegan Eggplant Pasta is a celebration of summer flavors.
Even though it's doesn't containe meat, it's substantial and filling. And this dish showcases the versatility of eggplant.
Prefer a more "meaty" plant-based sauce? Try my vegan Bolognese recipe made with walnuts.
This recipe is from the gorgeous The First Mess Cookbook by Laura Wright. It features seasonal plant-based recipes which are classified with symbols indicating whether the recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, no added sugar, and/or cane sugar-free.
I received a complimentary copy of The First Mess Cookbook to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This rustic dish is full of flavor and easy to prepare.
- You only need 10 common ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make it.
- Salting and roasting the cubes of eggplant results in the perfect texture without any bitterness.
Ingredients
As you probably guessed, there's no ground beef in this vegan eggplant pasta recipe. Instead you will need the following ingredients that are easy to find at your local supermarket:
- Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Chili flakes
- Dried oregano
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Vegetable stock or water
- Pasta such as spaghetti or linguini
- Fresh basil
- Kalamata olives
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Instructions
While this is not a one-pot meal, the process for making this recipe can be broken down into four steps which are detailed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Roast the diced eggplant in the oven.
- Prepare the sauce on the stove.
- Cook the pasta.
- Add the cooked eggplant and olives to the sauce and toss with the pasta.
Serving suggestions
While this hearty pasta is a complete meal on it's own, it's also wonderful served with a seasonal salad. I particularly enjoy it with a refreshing salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and hearts of palm or a mixed green salad with artichoke hearts.
Or serve it with a vegetable side like sauteed zucchini and tomatoes or lemon and garlic air fried green beans.
Storing
Leftover pasta can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it.
Recipe FAQs
While it's available year round, peak season is July through October.
Eggplants come in all different shapes and colors. And some even have stripes. This recipe calls for a large deep purple globe eggplant, but check out A Visual Guide to 8 Glorious Varieties of Eggplant.
The key to getting the bitterness out of eggplant is to salt it. Then allow it to rest so that the excess moisture is removed.
Not only will this improve the taste, the texture won't be overly mushy when cooked. Then once you're ready to cook the eggplant, rinse it with water and pat dry. This may seem like a tedious extra step, but it's well worth it.
More "meaty" vegan pasa recipes
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Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Vegan Eggplant Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, diced into ½-inch cubes
- salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, +1 Tablespoon, divided
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable stock OR water
- ¾ pound long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguini (I used gluten-free spaghetti)
- 6 whole fresh basil leaves, plus extra chopped, for garnish
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the diced eggplant with a generous sprinkle of sea salt. Let the eggplant sit for 10 minutes to release some of its water. Pour the salted eggplant into a colander and rinse with fresh water. Dry the eggplant pieces as thoroughly as you can with a kitchen towel, and then lay them on the prepared baking sheet.1 large eggplant, salt
- Toss the eggplant with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the salt and pepper. Spread the eggplant out into a single layer. Slide the baking sheet into the oven, and roast until the eggplant is tender and has browned slightly, about 20 minutes. Set aside.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
- In a large deep skillet, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, stir, and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the chili flakes and oregano, and stir. Add the tomatoes and vegetable stock to the skillet, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower the heat and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 5 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon chili flakes, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup vegetable stock OR water
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.¾ pound long pasta
- Drop the basil leaves into the tomato sauce and submerge the leaves. Cover the sauce and let it continue to cook for 10 more minutes.6 whole fresh basil leaves
- Remove the basil leaves from the sauce, and season it with salt and pepper. Add the roasted eggplant and chopped olives to the sauce, and stir to distribute. Carefully toss the cooked pasta in the sauce. After the noodles are coated in sauce, sprinkle the chopped basil on top. Serve the pasta hot.½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Mary A Wieland says
Can just the sauce be frozen?
Amy Katz says
Yes, that will work!
Ellen says
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for providing a wonderful recipe for eggplant that is so simple, healthy, and satisfying.
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Ellen! Thank you for coming back to leave a rating a comment. 🙂
David says
I definitely have to try this one. It's so nice to see a bolognese recipe that *isn't* based on mushrooms instead (which trying numerous times, I just can't be swayed to liking mushrooms unless they're raw baby button mushrooms, or wood-ear mushroom in a stir-fry)
Amy Katz says
I can't wait to hear what you think, David!
Lori J Munn says
DELICIOUS THANK YOU!!!
Cynthia Carpenter says
Really good! My husband doesn't like eggplant but he really liked this! I'll be making it again. I modified it by using 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes - it had a nice bite. 1/2 tsp would have been too hot for us.
Amy Katz says
I'm so glad you both enjoyed it, Cynthia!
Jean says
This was so simple and so freaking good! Definitely will be putting this into the rotation!
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Jean!
Deborah says
great recipe with lots of flavor...I did add brown onion first though and then added the garlic. The eggplant browned in the oven first really makes the difference with the texture and taste. My husband loved it and he's a big meat eater, he said I should make this again and he didn't miss the meat at all.
Amy Katz says
That's fantastic, Deborah! I agree that it's the best method for cooking eggplant.
Lisa says
Thank you for this recipe! I made this around lunchtime and I can’t wait to serve it to my family tonight. The Kalamata olives were the perfect touch. It is delicious. This will be a recipe I make often.
Peggy says
Loved this dish! Easy to make and hearty with the roasted eggplant! I also added the cup of cooked lentils and really enjoyed the fullness of flavor! Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
Samantha says
Just wanted to mention that I made this dish last night and it was a huge success. Amazing flavor. Thank you again for posting it.
Amy says
I'm so happy to hear this, Samantha! Thanks for sharing!