Milk Street Recipe

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes and Eggplant

35 minutes

This pasta dish, loosely based on a sausage and eggplant ragù we tasted on a recent visit to Sicily, is ideal for summer: it uses in-season tomatoes and eggplant, and because the pasta is cooked directly in the sauce, there’s no need to heat up the kitchen with a large pot of boiling water. Hot Italian sausage adds a little spiciness, but use sweet sausage if that’s your preference.

4-6

Servings

Tip

Don’t stir the tomatoes more than just once or twice after adding them to the pot. Uncovering to stir releases heat and slows the rate at which the tomatoes burst and release their juices. However, do make sure to stir regularly after the pasta is added to prevent the starchy noodles from sticking to the pot.

35 minutes

Ingredients

3

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
2

pints cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions

01

In a large pot over medium-high, combine the oil, tomatoes, onion and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cover and cook, stirring only once or twice, until the tomatoes begin to burst, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, uncovered and using a wooden spoon to break up the meat and tomatoes, until the sausage is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reviews

Wendy P.

I made half a recipe, was a tad shy on the 8 oz. pasta, and a little heavy on the eggplant (about 12 oz, not 8 oz.). It was excellent - fewer dishes to wash (NICE!) and good flavor. Make again! Made enough for dinner for two plus a lunch for one.

Joelle G.

Could you make this recipe with fresh instead of dry pasta and just reduce the amount of water?

Sherri S.

Would this recipe work with gluten free pasta by following the GF pasta cooking time?

Janelle C.

Hi Sherri,

Using a gluten-free pasta should work since the pasta is added last, however, you may need to adjust when you add the pasta if it's cooking time is longer than 10-12 minutes.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Yaoli Y.

Very tasty and easy to make one-pot pasta! Full of flavor and my husband was shocked there was no butter or cream needed!

Dennis Alden D.

Excellent! As usual, I only use half the pasta, so I reduced the water from 1 quart to 3 cups. Came out perfect. Thanks, Milk Street!

Patrick B.

This hearty and simple dish is a favorite in my household. Excellent recipe!

Andrew T.

Very good. Added some Swiss chard since I had some that needed to be used. Used 12oz of hot Italian sausage.
Next time might add a can of rinsed cannellini beans.

Melissa S.

I made it with Chinese eggplant and didn't bother peeling. It worked great.

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Pasta with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes and Eggplant