Charred Eggplant + Roasted Garlic Pasta with Tahini
This recipe was born of a single photo that I saw and could not get out of my mind. Ottolenghi, the very well known chef and restauranteur who can likely be largely credited for the widespread popularity of Middle Eastern cooking in North America, posted this photo back in March with hardly any description to accompany it.
charred eggplant + roasted garlic pasta with tahini | kulaskitchen.com
Once I saw it, I couldn't stop thinking about the exquisite combination of roasted eggplant with a touch of tomato on pasta, plus the heavenly addition of tahini. I have thought to put tahini in MANY things, but never pasta. I had to recreate this dish immediately.
charred eggplant + roasted garlic pasta with tahini | kulaskitchen.com
I absolutely adore how this pasta turned out, and it will most certainly be a permanent fixture in my weekly rotation from now on. A very tomato sauce-y pasta has just never quite done it for me, so the coating to accompany the charred eggplant here is perfect: jammy, sweet caramelized onions mashed together with a whole head of creamy roasted garlic (!), plus a touch of tomato paste for that rich and sweet flavour. It's thinned with some salty pasta water (please salt your water sufficiently, for goodness sake) and finished with a shower of fresh parsley and a generous drizzle of tahini.
charred eggplant + roasted garlic pasta with tahini | kulaskitchen.com
Trust me on this one: it makes for a fairly light pasta dish that is super flavourful, plus it only requires a few simple ingredients. Use any pasta you like/have on hand! Enjoy :)
Charred Eggplant + Roasted Garlic Pasta with Tahini
Ingredients
3 cups (dry) pasta of choice
3-4 small onions, halved and sliced
¼ cup + ½ tsp sea salt, divided
1 head of garlic
1 large Italian eggplant
2 tbsp tomato paste
Olive oil
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
2 tbsp tahini
Reserved ½ cup pasta water
Method
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet. Slice your eggplant in half lengthwise and cut the top off of your garlic. Drizzle both with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, then lay the eggplant cut-side down on the baking sheet. Wrap the head of garlic in foil and place it on the sheet as well. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until eggplant is charred.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water plus 1/4 cup of salt (yes, that much!) to a boil and cook pasta according to the package directions. Before draining, save 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
Heat more olive oil in a large skillet/pan and add your onion slices and a big pinch of salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat or until onions are translucent and jammy.
Remove eggplant and garlic from the oven. Roughly chop the eggplant into large chunks and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves (be careful as it’ll be very hot), then mash the cloves in a small bowl with a fork. Add the eggplant and smashed roasted garlic to your pan of onions and stir to combine. Add in your tomato paste and more salt, cooking over medium-low until everything is well combined.
Add the onion and eggplant mixture to your pot of drained pasta off the heat. Slowly stream in the reserved cooking water, stirring until you have a glossy sauce that coats the pasta. Taste and add up to 1/2 tsp extra salt if desired. Stir in chopped parsley and chili flakes if using.
Before serving, drizzle the pasta with 2 tbsp of tahini, stir and enjoy!
