Creamy and Zesty Smoked Eggplant Pasta

This recipe comes from my love for baba ganoush (an eggplant and tahini-based middle eastern dip) and creamy pasta! What I love about this pasta dish is that it is incredibly creamy, yet it doesn’t leave me feeling heavy or sluggish. The lemon juice and zest also add a complementary tang that cuts through the creaminess so well. And for an added bonus, it has navy beans! Not only do navy beans make the sauce creamier, but they also provide protein, which makes this dish more satiating and balanced!
To give this dish a bit more texture, I crisped up some of the navy beans to make a delicious topping. You can go with that or make your own incredible topping! It could be sauteed mushrooms or toasted breadcrumbs with garlic and parsley, whatever floats your boat!

Prep Time

35 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Serving:

2-3 portions

Labels:

Ingredients

1 cup cooked navy beans
1 large eggplant
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
Seasoning mix: ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp cumin
½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
250g pasta (I used Fettuccine)
Zest of 1 small lemon, optional
2-3 tbsp tahini (depends on how creamy you like it)
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup chopped parsley or coriander

Instructions:

1. Mix all the seasonings, except the salt in a small bowl and set aside, this is our seasoning mix. Char the eggplant over an open flame until tender and the skin charred all around, around 7 minutes. Once fully charred, remove and place in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with a plate to help loosen the skin and set aside. While the eggplant is roasting, dice the onions and chop the garlic, set aside.

2. For the optional crispy bean topping, heat up a pan and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in ¼ cup of the navy beans (make sure they are well drained). It will sizzle a bit so be careful. Give it a toss and then add half of the seasoning mix that we made earlier and mix. Let it sizzle for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Once the beans are slightly golden brown, remove the beans from the pan.

3. In the same pan, add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add in the chopped onions. Sautee the onions until golden brown. Once golden, add in the chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds. When the garlic is fragrant, add in the rest of the seasoning mix and saute for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

4. For the pasta, bring hot water to a boil in a pot and season it well with salt. Once boiling adds in the pasta and cook until al dente, mine took around 9 minutes. When draining the pasta, make sure you save the pasta water! We’re going to need at least a cup of it.

5. Peel the skin of the eggplant. In order to get the little charred bits off, have a bowl of water nearby. Wet your hand and run it along the eggplant. The little skin bits will stick to your hand. Repeat this step until you’ve gotten rid of most of the bits. Place the cleaned eggplant on a cutting board and chop it until you have a mash.

6. Add the mashed eggplant to the pan with the sauteed onions/garlic, along with 3/4 cups of navy beans, 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ cup pasta water, and salt. Use an immersion blender to blend everything until smooth.

7. Place the pan back on low heat and add the drained pasta to your smooth sauce and mix. You will need to add pasta water in intervals (¼ cup) until you reach the desired consistency. I ended up using around a cup. Once the pasta is well combined, zest a small lemon over the pasta, add in ¼ cup of chopped parsley or coriander, and give it a final mix. You shouldn’t heat the pasta too much at this point as it might turn bitter because of the lemon juice and zest. Garnish with the crispy bean topping and some olive oil.

Voila! You’ve got an easy yet marvelous pasta recipe to use every time you want to spice up your pasta nights.