Usually if an eggplant and pasta are in the same room together, there’s tomato sauce involved. Here’s a recipe that bucks this convention and features eggplant without the sauce, but with red onions, garlic, baby spinach, and mint, all sautéed in olive oil and tossed with spaghetti pasta and crumbled feta cheese.
It is amazingly good. Surprisingly good. Like you just want to keep eating it good.
You need to use a firm globe eggplant, not tender Japanese eggplant for a recipe like this. The cubed globe eggplant will hold its shape in the time it takes to brown on all sides. The taste of mint is understated, it’s used like one would use oregano or thyme, just an herb to add a note to the dish.
The recipe comes by way of my friend Kathi who cooked for many years at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco and who regularly inspires the dishes here on Simply Recipes. Thank you Kathi!
Pasta with Eggplant, Feta, and Mint Recipe
Use a firm, large globe eggplant for this dish. More delicate eggplant varieties will fall apart in the cooking.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound of spaghetti or any other long thin Italian pasta (linguini or fettucini)
- Salt
- 3/4 pound globe eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cup of cubed eggplant)
- 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 medium red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (3 ounces), roughly chopped
- 5 to 6 mint leaves (spearmint), minced
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Freshly ground black pepper
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