This Three Meat Eggplant Pasta is jam-packed with the texture and all the smoky flavours thanks to three kinds of meat – Italian sausage, pancetta, and prosciutto.
Happy (unofficial) fall, my friends! Times flies; sorry for a cliché. Wait for a couple of weeks, and we as food bloggers will start developing the Thanksgiving and Christmas menu, right? (Especially considering the fact Thanksgiving is in October in Canada!)
While I am still going to be posting summer recipes for a while (No apples and pumpkins till September 20s on my blog!), some of those recipes are going to be comforting and hearty. After all, September’s nights are quite chill!
In fact, I made this Three Meat Eggplant Pasta in…July, but I decided it would be a perfect recipe for late summer. I do lave the combination of eggplant and pasta. However, Andrey is not a fan of eggplant in pasta, and normally I would cook them separately and set aside for myself while finishing the sauce. This time I wanted to trick him into eggplant pasta. And what’s the best way? The addition of meat, of course. I decided that one kind of meat might not be enough for my plan. However, I couldn’t choose between pancetta and prosciutto, and I ended up buying both!
Three kinds of meat? Oh yeah! Who can resist all these smoky flavours? Andrey didn’t mind the eggplant at all (Well, I also tried to catch fewer eggplant pieces for his plate). Plus, some delicious caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, herbs, and smoked paprika. Not decadent enough? Add some parmesan or ricotta on top!
I don’t know what about you, but I started to crave this Three Meat Eggplant Pasta while writing the post. What about you?
Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium eggplant (2cups cubed)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced (1/2cup sliced)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 raw Italian sausages, about 200 gr. total (mild or spiced, per your preferences), roughly chopped
- 70 gr. pancetta, cubed
- 50-70 gr. prosciutto, sliced
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- fresh thyme
- dried herbs
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. balsamic
- salt, optional
- about 200gr. dried pasta
- parmesan or ricotta, for serving
- fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme for serving)
Instructions
- Heat a pan (high medium) and cook the eggplant (no oil needed) 7-10 minutes until it has released the liquid then started to turn golden. Add 1tbsp. of oil and a tiny pinch of salt. Cook for another 5 minutes then set aside.
- Add another 1 tbsp. of oil into the same pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the Italian sausage and cook for about 7 minutes, until no longer pink.
- Add the pancetta and brown 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the prosciutto, tomatoes, herbs, balsamic, and cook about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
- Return the eggplant. Try and add the seasoning if needed (Careful with the salt – the meat is salty!)
- In a meanwhile, cook the pasta in slightly salted water as instructed, until al dente. Reserve some of the water and drain.
- Stir in the sauce and let stay 1-2 minutes to absorb the flavours. Add more herbs and serve.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
I love eggplant pasta and you’ve totally elevated it with the meats and cheeses! I can’t imagine this dish is anything other than awesome! Love this!
Wow this is a delicious “meat feast” pasta Ben. All those flavours. Delicious! And you’ve just reminded me. Best get started on my Christmas recipes right away!
Neil recently posted…One Pot Sausage Pasta
Ah Ben! You just reminded me how close Thanksgiving is. We have it so early here in Canada, it seems like it will be coming way too soon! I’m just crossing my fingers for no snow!!
Pasta is the best isn’t it? This sounds delicious, Ben! And while I’m looking forward to your pumpkin and apple recipes, I’m glad you’re going to hold off for a bit :)
What a perfect way to transition into fall. Love all this flavor Ben. My husband isn’t a huge fan of eggplant either so I’d probably sub zucchini and definitely include a hefty dollop of ricotta or burrata. Nicely done!
Oh man, this pasta is totally calling my name, Ben! I love pasta in all forms, and that ricotta on top looks awesome! Plus, you used 3 different meats, and that alone deserves a high five. I’d even be ok with the eggplant in here, too!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Lemon Pasta with Baked Cod