Rigatoni with Eggplant & Spicy Sausage
Servings: 4
A deliciously cooked Rigatoni with eggplant and spicy sausage. Cooked in a savory tomato sauce and topped with creamy burrata that melts beautifully into an amazing casserole. Add plenty of fresh basil, and serve this dish with warm crusty bread and pair with a beautiful glass of wine.
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Ingredients
- ¾ lbs Rigatoni or Penne pasta (about 300 grams)
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 firm eggplant, peeled, and cut into small ½-inch cubes. Discard most of the seedy part of the eggplant
- 3 Italian sausages (mild or spicy) OPTIONAL- leave out to make it vegetarian.
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoon red balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 28 oz San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (canned)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
- 8 oz fresh burrata
- fresh basil leaves, about ½ cup torn into pieces
Instructions
- HAVE ALL YOUR VEGGIES CUT AND READY, SO PASTA IS DONE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE SAUCE!1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I like to add a drizzle of olive oil to the water. That prevents the pasta from sticking together. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. 2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add olive oil to a big skillet pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot add the cubed eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and the garlic stirring occasionally until the eggplant and onion are nice and soft and got a little color. If you are using sausages add them in 1 minute after the shallots/onions. Allow to brown on all sides. 3. Stir in the tomato paste and the red balsamic vinegar. Give it about 1 minute. You will see the tomato paste separating from the oil. Now pour in the peeled tomatoes. Either you squish them with your hands while you add them, or break them apart with a wooden spoon in the pan. Add the sugar. That will balance out the acidity from the tomatoes beautifully. Season with more sea salt and freshly ground pepper. The sauce should taste sort of sweet/sour. Add this point add a little heat. ¼ teaspoon of red dried chili flakes make a mild-good pasta sauce, but feel free to adjust to your own liking. Add ¼ cup of pasta water to the sauce and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. I like to add a few fresh basil sprigs at this point. 4. Meanwhile drain the pasta. Then add pasta to the pan with the sauce. Stir everything really good together. Then top with a burrata bowl, right in the middle. Separate it a bit so it can mix a little into the sauce. Drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil over the cheese. Then top with more fresh torn basil leaves. Serve with fresh crusty bread. YUM!
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Nutrition
Calories: 874kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 338mg | Potassium: 1218mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 972IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 415mg | Iron: 5mg
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