Maltagliati with eggplant sauce is a meatless pasta of fresh maltagliati tossed with eggplant, carrots and onion cooked in red wine, ready in about 40 minutes. It feeds 4, and a handful of pecorino on top finishes it.
Why This Recipe Works
The eggplant and carrots are cut into matchsticks of the same thickness, 1/4 inch. Pieces of one size soften in the same time, so nothing stays raw while something else turns to mush. The strips also cling to the wide pasta.
The vegetables fry in 6 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat, and you stir without stopping. The oil carries the flavor of the onion into the eggplant, and the stirring keeps the strips from catching on the bottom of the pan.
The last step is a short splash of red wine and water with half a bouillon cube. Cook it for only 1 or 2 minutes, so the liquid reduces to a light, salty coating and the pasta doesn’t sit in a watery sauce.
Maltagliati with Eggplant Sauce Ingredients
For the sauce
- 7 ounces eggplant
- 7 ounces carrots
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 fluid ounces) red wine
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 fluid ounces) water
- 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pasta
- 1 pound fresh maltagliati, or 14 ounces dried spaghetti or pappardelle, broken into irregular pieces
- 3 ounces freshly grated pecorino cheese (about 3/4 cup)
How To Make Maltagliati with Eggplant Sauce
Cut the vegetables
- Prep the eggplant: Peel the eggplant and throw away the skin. Cut the flesh lengthwise into slices, then into large matchsticks 1/4 inch thick.
- Prep the carrots: Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks of the same size. Equal pieces soften at the same speed.
Make the sauce
- Fry the vegetables: Put the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion, eggplant and carrots, and fry until soft, stirring all the time so nothing sticks.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the garlic, basil and rosemary. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes, so the herbs perfume the oil.
- Reduce the liquid: Pour in the wine and water and crumble in the 1/2 bouillon cube. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the liquid has reduced.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the parsley. Keep the pan warm while the pasta cooks.
Cook and serve the pasta
- Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Fresh maltagliati take 4 to 5 minutes, and pappardelle take 5 to 6 minutes.
- Toss and serve: Drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce so every piece is coated. Divide it among plates and sprinkle with the pecorino.
Recipe Tips
- Match the cut: Keep every matchstick close to 1/4 inch thick. Thin pieces fall apart in the pan, and thick ones stay firm.
- Season at the end: Pecorino and bouillon are both salty. Taste the sauce before you add salt, and add only what it needs.
- Break dried pasta by hand: If you use dried spaghetti or pappardelle, snap it into uneven pieces. The ragged shapes are what make it maltagliati, which means badly cut.
- Grate the pecorino fresh: Freshly grated cheese melts into the warm pasta. Pre-grated cheese is drier and stays in clumps.
What To Serve With Maltagliati with Eggplant Sauce
Serve the pasta right away on warm plates, with extra pecorino at the table. A simple green salad with lemon dressing and a glass of the same red wine you cooked with go well alongside.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftover pasta in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm it in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water, until hot all the way through.
- Make ahead: Cook the sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it, then boil the pasta fresh.
FAQs
Can I use dried pasta instead of fresh maltagliati?
Yes. Use 14 ounces of dried spaghetti or pappardelle and break it into irregular pieces. Pappardelle takes 5 to 6 minutes to cook, so check it early.
Is this pasta vegetarian?
The ingredients contain no meat or fish, and fresh pasta is often made with eggs. Two things to check are the bouillon cube and the pecorino. Many pecorino cheeses use animal rennet, so look for a vegetarian label if that matters to you.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes. Cook the sauce up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge. Reheat it gently, and cook the pasta just before you serve.
Why is my sauce watery?
Most often the wine and water were not reduced enough. Cook them for the full 1 to 2 minutes over the heat, until they thicken to a light coating. Don’t add the pasta water to the sauce.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 640 kcal
- Total Fat: 28g
- Total Carbohydrate: 74g
- Dietary Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 21g
Maltagliati with Eggplant Sauce
4
servings15
minutes25
minutes40
minutesFresh maltagliati tossed with eggplant, carrot and onion cooked in red wine and herbs, then topped with pecorino. A meatless pasta for 4 that is ready in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the sauce
7 ounces eggplant
7 ounces carrots
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 fluid ounces) red wine
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 fluid ounces) water
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the pasta
1 pound fresh maltagliati, or 14 ounces dried spaghetti or pappardelle, broken into irregular pieces
3 ounces freshly grated pecorino cheese (about 3/4 cup)
Directions
- Prep the eggplant: Peel the eggplant and throw away the skin. Cut the flesh lengthwise into slices, then into large matchsticks 1/4 inch thick.
- Prep the carrots: Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks of the same size. Equal pieces soften at the same speed.
- Fry the vegetables: Put the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion, eggplant and carrots, and fry until soft, stirring all the time so nothing sticks.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the garlic, basil and rosemary. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes, so the herbs perfume the oil.
- Reduce the liquid: Pour in the wine and water and crumble in the 1/2 bouillon cube. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the liquid has reduced.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the parsley. Keep the pan warm while the pasta cooks.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Fresh maltagliati take 4 to 5 minutes, and pappardelle take 5 to 6 minutes.
- Toss and serve: Drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce so every piece is coated. Divide it among plates and sprinkle with the pecorino.
