Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 450 g italian eggplant, peeled and chopped into 0.6cm pieces
- 170 g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 100 g white onion, finely chopped
- 75 g carrot, finely chopped
- 3 garlic, minced
Sauce Base
- 90 ml olive oil
- 33 g tomato paste
- 720 ml mushroom broth
- 240 ml canned whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 2 g dried oregano
- 1 basil
Pasta and Finishing
- 450 g rigatoni
- 27 g butter, unsalted
- parmesan, freshly grated
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Fill a large pot with water, add a generous amount of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Heat 30ml of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add half of the chopped eggplant to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft.
Transfer the cooked eggplant to a plate. Add 30ml of oil to the pot and repeat the browning process with the remaining eggplant. Transfer the second batch to the plate.
Add the final 30ml of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release browned bits.
Add the chopped onion and carrot to the mushrooms. Season and cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until the paste darkens.
Stir in the mushroom broth, crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, basil sprig, and the cooked eggplant. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes until the eggplant is very tender.
Uncover the pot. Cook for 2 more minutes while mashing approximately half of the eggplant with a spoon to thicken the sauce.
While the sauce simmers, add the rigatoni to the boiling water. Cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 240ml (1 cup) of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
Add the drained pasta, butter, and 120ml (1/2 cup) of the reserved pasta water to the sauce. Stir vigorously over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide into bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.
Chef's Notes
- For optimal browning and texture, don't overcrowd the pan when cooking the eggplant. Brown it in batches to ensure each piece gets a nice sear.
- Finely chopping the vegetables (onion, carrot, mushrooms) creates a more cohesive sauce texture, mimicking the finely minced ingredients in a traditional ragù.
- To deepen the mushroom flavor, consider using a mix of mushroom varieties like shiitake or portobello in addition to cremini or button.
- The step of mashing half the eggplant is crucial for thickening the sauce naturally. Don't skip it!
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need. It's a magical ingredient for emulsifying the sauce and achieving a silky texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store sauce and pasta separately if possible to prevent pasta from absorbing all liquid.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze sauce only; prepare fresh pasta when serving.
Reheating: Warm in a pan over medium heat, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
