| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- Salt
- Olive oil, for sauteing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup almonds, lightly toasted and chopped
- 1 pound Pasta, recipe follows
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
- Grated cacciocavallo, optional
Instructions
- Thinly slice the eggplant and sprinkle slices with salt. Let stand for about 30 minutes and then dry eggplant on clean kitchen or paper towels.
- Heat about 1-inch of oil in a large saute pan to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, chop the garlic and basil, slowly adding 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil to incorporate well. Stir in the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and almonds and set aside.
- When oil is hot, fry eggplant slices, in batches, in hot oil until light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente; drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding as much cooking liquid as necessary. Add fried eggplant slices and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and grated cacciocavallo, if desired. Serve.
- Pasta:
- 3 cups flour “00” or fine ground semolina
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
- Place the flour on the counter or in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and make a well. Beat the 3 eggs in the center of the well, and slowly incorporate all the flour. Knead until smooth and then let rest for about 30 minutes. Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thick and then cut into desired shape.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 364 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 749 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 364 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 749 mg |
Reviews
I made this last night and it was OK, but I’ve made Giada’s Eggplant rigatoni and it consists of some of the same ingredients but tastes better and no frying eggplant! The raw garlic is a little much, and I love garlic! I won’t make this again.
Excellent dish.
We didn’t use his special Scicilian cheese. Instead fresh grated parm on the table.
My tomatoes weren’t that brilliant, so I also added a couple TBS of tomato paste to the pesto for color and flavor.
Though not a problem for me, when they call for peeled tomatoes (not shown on the live show) it would be cool for this site to somehow provide a quick link added to how this can be easily done.
I made homemade baguettes to go along, extra pesto would have made a great dip for that. So maybe double the pesto.
As for the eggplant…the slices at the top of the veg, with no seeds, fried up like delightful semi-chips. The kids ate them as is, not as a topping. The slices with seeds…ahhh…soggy and oily.
Wouldn’t bother with them next time, or would just bake them. Or maybe shred the eggplant into the pesto itself.
I made this for my family last night and they loved it. How come Sal doesn’t appear on Emeril more Often? Or why doesn’t he have his own show? If you eat at his restaurant in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey you will love it! This recipe among many others that he has is delicious! Good job Sal from a kid who grew up eating your food in B.H., New Jersey.
This was an easy dish to make, quick and very presentable. I used this at a large dinner for 25 people and the big surprise was the kids asking for more “green spaghetti”. There were no leftovers and I doubled the recipe while serving other entree dishes. Nice dish, Sal…
This is a great dish, but requires a bit of time to make and clean up. The zuchinni was awesome! The only adjustments I’ll make next time is to make more pesto… it kind of got lost in all of the pasta, and also cut the pasta into wider pieces. I used capellini, and I think it would be better with fettucini or something like that.
We loved this and it was so easy to make.