INGREDIENTS

  • 2 eggplants (a mix of Asian and Italian is nice!), cut to 1” dice
  • Sea salt
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
  • 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced into rings (or sub with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes)
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 2 large slicer tomatoes, diced
  • 1 pound pasta
  • Mint leaves, for garnish
  • Parsley leaves and tender stems, for garnish
  • Basil leaves, for garnish
  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Serves 2-4

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Toss eggplant with ¼ cup oil, season with salt, and roast until deeply browned, 15-20 minutes, tossing halfway.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic, shallot, and pepper until softened and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
  3. Drop in the cherry tomatoes and allow to burst; stir in the diced tomatoes, season generously with salt, and let sauce simmer gently while eggplant finishes browning.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
  5. When the pasta is finished cooking, combine the noodles and roasted eggplant with the tomato sauce. Divide among bowls; top with fresh herbs, a splash of olive oil, and crack pepper over.