March 27, 2023

Fettuccini with Eggplant and Whipped Ricotta

Fettuccini with Eggplant and Whipped Ricotta is one of our favorite meatless meals. I start this dish by making a fresh tomato sauce. Then, I fry eggplant until it’s crispy. Finally, I toss the sauce and eggplant all together with fettuccini and top it with the whipped cheese. We like this eggplant dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that this is a meatless meal, since we try to have meatless dinners a few times a week. Secondly, I like that I can make this eggplant and pasta in just about forty minutes. And, lastly, we all love the crispy eggplant, the fresh tomato sauce, and the creamy ricotta.

The Equipment I Used

A Food Processor- You’ll need to a food processor to make the whipped ricotta.
A Dutch Oven- I like to use a cast-iron Dutch oven to make my sauce. But you can use any large pot.
A Large Pot- Use a large pot to boil the fettuccine.

The Ingredients Needed for Fettuccini with Eggplant and Whipped Ricotta

Fettuccini- I really like the Dececco egg fettuccini
Ricotta- Use fresh ricotta cheese if possible. You can find this at Italian markets.
Tomatoes- I use fresh plum tomatoes for this sauce.
Garlic- I like to buy the peeled cloves and store them in the freezer.
Eggplant- Use a firm eggplant.

How I Made my Eggplant and Fettuccini

First, I made the fresh tomato sauce. I begin this by boiling the tomatoes so that the skins come off easily.
Next, I fried my eggplant cubes. It’s important that your oil be very hot.
Then, while the sauce simmered, I made the whipped cheese.
Finally, I tossed the fettuccine with the sauce and eggplant. Then, I topped it all with the cheese.

If you like eggplant, you need to try this cheesy and delicious Fettuccini with Eggplant and Whipped Ricotta.

Fettuccini with Eggplant and Whipped Ricotta

Fettuccini tossed with crispy eggplant and a fresh tomato sauce and topped with Whipped Ricotta Cheese.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

For the Fresh Tomato Sauce:

6 plum tomatoes, with the stems cut out
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup onion, minced
½ cup chicken stock
¼ tsp. each dried oregano, kosher salt, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. fresh basil, sliced

To Assemble the Dish:

2 cups peeled and cubed eggplant (one-inch cubes)
1 tsp. kosher salt
12 ounces spaghetti
fresh basil for garnishing
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 recipe whipped ricotta (see recipe below)

Instructions

Begin by preparing the crispy eggplant: Place the eggplant in a colander, over a bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant with the kosher salt and let it sit for thirty minutes.
While the eggplant drains, make the fresh tomato sauce: In a three- quart saucepan, half filled with boiling water, simmer the tomatoes for three minutes, or until their peels loosen. Drain and peel the tomatoes and chop them in half inch pieces.
In a Dutch oven on low heat, melt the butter and oil and cook the onion and garlic until they're soft. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the sauce ingredients, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. While the sauce simmers, fry the eggplant. Heat a half cup of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Rinse and then dry the eggplant with paper towels. When the oil is very hot, heat the eggplant cubes on all sides, until it's brown. Cook until tender but not mushy. Drain on paper towels. While the sauce simmers cook the fettuccini according to the package directions. Also, make the whipped ricotta ( recipe below). Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and add in the eggplant. Toss the sauce with the drained fettuccini. Top with the fresh basil, whipped ricotta, and the parmesan cheese.