5 from 9 votes
Red Pesto Pasta with Eggplant
This delicious Red Pesto Pasta with Eggplant is a delicious and soul-satisfying vegetarian dish that will become a staple in your family's dinner rotation.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings:
8
Calories:
368 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Italian
Ingredients
- 3 eggplant small or 2 large; about 1 ½ pounds total
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 pound rotini or other pasta
- 1 cup pesto rosso red pesto
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup basil fresh, torn
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel off strips of the skin from the eggplants, leaving some skin in place.* Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the diced eggplant on two baking sheets. Toss them with the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 ½ cups of the pasta water.
- Return the hot, dry pot to the stove and heat over low heat. Add the cooked pasta, the pesto rosso, and about 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine. Add more pasta water as needed to coat the pasta. Gently stir in the cooked eggplant.
- Whip the ricotta cheese in a food processor until smooth and fluffy (optional step).
- Serve the pasta in bowls and top with fresh basil and dollops of whipped ricotta.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- *I like to peel strips of the eggplant skin off before cutting it up. This leaves some skin intact so that the eggplant holds its shape, but isn't too much skin that it is bothersome to chew.
Nutrition Information
Serving
0g
Calories
368kcal
(18%)
Carbohydrates
47.3g
(16%)
Protein
13.7g
(27%)
Fat
14.4g
(22%)
Saturated Fat
2.2g
(11%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0g
(0%)
Monounsaturated Fat
0g
(0%)
Trans Fat
0g
(0%)
Cholesterol
0mg
(0%)
Sodium
0mg
(0%)
Potassium
0mg
(0%)
Fiber
8.3g
(33%)
Sugar
0g
(0%)
Vitamin A
0IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
0mg
(0%)
Calcium
0mg
(0%)
Iron
0mg
(0%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 368
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 0g | |
| Calories | 368kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 47.3g | 16% |
| Protein | 13.7g | 27% |
| Fat | 14.4g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat | 2.2g | 11% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 0mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 8.3g | 33% |
| Sugar | 0g | 0% |
| Vitamin A | 0IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 0mg | 0% |
| Iron | 0mg | 0% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.