Name: Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomato and Eggplant Sauce
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 1 pound linguine; 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt , plus salt for cooking pasta; ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for serving; 1½ pounds eggplant , peeled and shredded; 6 garlic cloves , sliced thin; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; ½ teaspoon pepper; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; ¾ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , drained and chopped; ¾ cup chopped fresh basil

Why This Recipe Works

We followed Francis Lam's guidance and embraced eggplant's nature, letting it cook down and absorb lots of spicy, garlicky olive oil in this vegan pasta dish.

Before You Begin

This pasta is inspired by Francis Lam's recipe for Pasta with Let-My-Eggplant-Go-Free! Puree. One 8-ounce jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes will yield the ¾ cup called for here. We recommend using the shredding disk of a food processor to shred the eggplant.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add eggplant, garlic, thyme sprigs, pepper, pepper flakes, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is uniformly wilted, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1½ cups water and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; and cook until eggplant begins to break down, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Discard thyme sprigs. Add eggplant mixture, basil, and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Serve, passing extra oil separately.