Pasta with Roasted Eggplant Tomato Sauce and Almond–Panko Topping

This is a recipe by Louise De Brabandere for Think Tomato

🕑 30 minutes 🍴 Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 250 g rigatoni (or other pasta)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp harissa

• 1 jar of Think Tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

For the topping

• 75 ml extra virgin olive oil

• 60 g panko breadcrumbs

• 30 g almonds, roughly chopped

• 20 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

• Optional: Parmesan cheese, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

2. Cut the eggplant into chunks, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

3. Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until the eggplant is tender and golden brown.

4. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions until al dente.

5. Crush the garlic into a paste. Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a saucepan over low heat and add the harissa and garlic. Make sure the garlic does not brown.

6. Add the Think Tomato sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper.

7. Let the sauce gently simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

8. Add the roasted eggplant during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

9. For the topping, heat the olive oil in a large pan and toast the panko breadcrumbs and chopped almonds until golden brown, stirring regularly.

10. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, then mix in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.

11. Drain the pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

12. Add the pasta to the sauce together with 2–3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and mix well.

13. Let everything warm through over low heat for 1 minute.

14. Divide between plates, finish with the almond–panko topping, and serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Enjoy!