Smoky Eggplant & Tahini Sourdough Pasta
Sometimes, only pasta will do. Rather than restricting, I love to make the cleanest version I can. For me, that means dairy free, often plant-based and always using sourdough pasta. This winter wonder is an Ottolenghi* recipe, made my way, and you’ll be making this time and time again.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1hr 10mins
Total Time: 1hr 25mins
Servings: 3
Category: Clean Dinners
Ingredients
3 eggplants (~900g), 2 cut into roughly 3–4cm cubes and 1 left whole
165ml olive oil
1 onion, cut into 6 wedges (150g)
2 small truss tomatoes, left whole (200g)
1 red chilli (10g), left whole
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
4 garlic cloves, crushed
80g tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
200g dried sourdough* pasta shells (conchiglie rigate)
10g parsley, roughly chopped salt and black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Place eggplant cubes on a large, parchment-lined baking tray, toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and
a good grind of pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until deeply browned and softened.Grill vegetables. Prick the whole eggplants all over with a fork and ventilate your kitchen well. Place a well-greased griddle pan on a high heat and, once smoking, add the eggplants and cook, turning as needed, for 35 minutes, or until well charred all over. Set aside to cool slightly. Toss the onion, tomatoes and chilli together in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil and grill in the same pan for 10 minutes, turning as needed, until very well charred and softened. Transfer to a bowl, discarding the chilli stem. Once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin and stems of the charred eggplants (it’s okay if there is still a little skin attached) and add the flesh to the bowl of charred vegetables.
Meanwhile, put the tomato paste, paprika, three-quarters of the garlic and 4 tbsp of oil into a small saucepan on a medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has turned dark red, about 5 minutes. Transfer this and the grilled vegetables to a food processor, along with 3⁄4 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and blitz until completely smooth. Transfer to a large sauté pan and set aside. This is your sauce base.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, the remaining garlic, the lemon juice, 70ml of water and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 275ml of the pasta water, then drain the pasta well.
Add the reserved pasta water and half the roasted eggplant to the sauce base and heat through on a medium-high heat. Add the drained pasta and stir to warm through, about 2 minutes.
Toss the remaining roasted eggplant with the parsley and the last 3 tbsp of oil.
Transfer the pasta to a large serving platter with a lip, drizzle over a good amount of the tahini sauce, then spoon over the eggplant and parsley mixture. Serve the extra tahini sauce alongside.
Fine Details (per serving)
Protein: ~20g per serve
Hormones: Along with helping to regulate glucose and insulin in the body, Eggplant has been shown to inhibit the release of ghrelin, our “hunger hormone”, and can aid in weight loss. Eggplant is also a great source of Manganese, which helps to prevent oxidative stress and is important for bone formation, metabolic activity and to regulate hormones vital for reproductive health.
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Notes
*For sourdough pasta, I love to use Berkelo
*Original recipe by Ottolenghi can be found here